A Ghost in the Mist
by Sabrina The Scientist
Summary: Logan and Hesh live to fight, to fight for justice, to fight for peace, but at some point all things have to come to an end right? What happens when a group of spies join their fight? The result is something the brothers or the Ghosts didn't count on. Logan/Sherry B. Hesh/Hong Kong(OC) Keegan/Korea past Elias/Ada [SLASH: You have been warned]
1. Prologue Part 1

A Ghost in the Mist Prologue (プロローグ)

(A/N: So for now I'm leaving the identity of Ren's parents a secret. If you've read CLAMP well then you'll know right off the bat but no spoilers please ^^

Basically, I bought Resident Evil around the same time that I started playing Call of Duty Ghosts while I was watching Axis Powers Hetalia, and the whole thing kinda appeared in my head. I hope you enjoy reading this as I enjoyed writing it, and please feel free to leave a comment and or a critique. Without further ado I present A Ghost in the Mist.)

Growing up in England was a huge change from the life that Ren had left behind in America. The skyscrapers that Ren seemed to gawk at in New York City were now replaced with the foggy silhouettes of buildings that greeted the London skyline. Ren was used to moving around, having been born in Hong Kong, staying for only three months before moving to Japan until he was three before traveling to the United States. The family traveled between towns for a couple years until Ren's father decided on New York. Ren's father taught English and Literature at whichever college would accept him. It's not that he was a bad professor, on the contrary he had received many rave reviews from his former students. He simply loved travelling, is what he would tell Ren whenever he asked. Ren's mother also didn't mind traveling; rather she embraced living on the road. She made her living writing novels and giving seminars for aspiring writers. On the subject of the constant moves she'd respond with enthusiasm on the wonders that traveling had done to stretch her imagination.

"Ren you'll understand one day when you start writing your own books, if you do choose that route." said his mother.

Writing had always crossed Ren's mind as a possible career path having grown up surrounded by books, he almost thought of them as his other siblings, especially the books his mother wrote.

"I would be proud, no matter what you choose to be when you grow up." his dad always said.

But Ren was still young and soon consumed himself doing what other 11 year olds were doing, which back then was a new video game console called the Wii. The topic didn't cross Ren's mind again until after he arrived in England. Ren was now 14, and very aware of the world around him. He was taken aback by how different a world he had entered simply by traveling across the pond. It was a daunting task, but one that had been accustomed to Ren's life from his family's constant struggle.

Ren's family, the Ichihara, owned a flat near the heart of downtown. Ren knew that his family was wealthy because of his mom's popular books, but he didn't know how deep that wealth was or what connections his family had because of it. The flat itself was open and spacious with a second story landing with three bedrooms and one master bedroom; its walls were cherry, decorated with intricate patterns made with yellow lining. There was also a huge assortment of elegant red-gold Chinese furniture which had oversized cushions that looked like they could swallow a person whole. Ren noted the many bookcases that were found along the walls, excited by the prospect of filling them with a plethora of books but then another thought crossed Ren's mind. All of their previous houses/apartments were all standard run-of-the-mill dwellings, what you'd see in a Norman Rockwell post card, nothing too fancy. This time around was different, again not that Ren was bothered by his parent's wealth, but he was bothered by the change. His parents had simple tastes and were relatively frugal with money. So what was up with the sudden upgrade? Were they planning on staying this time? Were they planning on moving again in the future? That last thought left a bitter feeling in Ren's gut, but he couldn't eliminate the possibility.

Ren toured the flat again before picking a bedroom. His parents let out a sigh of relief and began to show off the finer details of their new home that Ren may have missed.

Later the family was huddled at the dining room for dinner. Ren was scheduled to start classes tomorrow at the nearby college. His parents were surprised, or so they appeared to be Ren would claim, at how many grades he skipped and the suite of proficiency exams he passed. But they'd always say that he had it in him all along, especially with their combined intellects. Ren would have returned their sentiment but he wasn't giving his parents an ego boost anytime soon. They'd joke about long it would take for Ren to adjust to an English accent or if he'd even develop one. Ren laughed along, he knew his parents would probably fall for the English accent thing before he did, they were dramatic like that.

"Your mom's gonna pick you up tomorrow and bring you over to my school. I've some papers to grade but after that we can take a proper tour of the city. I hope you can appreciate that you'll be seeing the real London instead of literary London." said Ren's dad.

"I'm excited, dad." said Ren with a yawn.

"You don't look excited." said his mother.

"I guess I'm a little tired, we had a long day today. I think I'm gonna head upstairs and lay down for a bit." said Ren.

"Okay honey, get some rest we have a big day tomorrow." said his mom.

After his parents heard Ren's door close they made their way to the living room with a tea set brimming freshly baked sweets and a pot of steaming tea.

"Do you think he's onto what we're planning?" asked Ren's mother taking a sip of tea.

"He's our son, I bet he knows something's off." said Ren's father while grabbing a biscuit.

"It's for the sake of his future…" said Ren's mother starring into her tea with narrowed eyes.

"I sure hope he sees it that way." his father said glancing in the direction of Ren's room.

-A Ghost in the Mist-

Ren woke with a start. He was covered in sweat and his heart was racing a mile a minute. Ren raked his hands through his disheveled brown hair, now sticking up in random directions. To say that he didn't sleep well was putting it kindly. He squinted through the glaring morning sun to examine his surroundings. He was still in bed, still in his room, and still dressed in the same clothes from yesterday.

"What am I still doing in these?" Ren made his way across the room and began rummaging his drawer for a new shirt and a pair of pants. While putting on his pants, Ren turned his attention the alarm clock near his bed and his heart sank.

"Crap, is that the time?" It was quarter past nine.

"Ren, honey! If you don't hurry up you're gonna be late for school."

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" yelled Ren. He quickly straightened his hair to the best of his ability, before stuffing books into his messenger bag. He ran through his mental checklist of things he needed for his first day, making sure that he hadn't forgot anything before bolting out of his room and quite literally flying down the stairs. His mother greeted him with a Cheshire grin and gave him a quick kiss on his still messy hair.

"Here's lunch, I hope you can eat breakfast in between one of your classes." She handed Ren a brown paper bag and a thermos of oolong tea.

"I'll try, there should be a nice tea shop on campus I could grab a bite." said Ren, hopping on one leg while attempting to put his shoes on. His mom laughed at his antics, while Ren made a face that said "I'm tired, I'm hungry, now's not the best time mom."

"You're just like your father, you know that?" said his mother lovingly.

"If you mean that dad was good at hopscotch then yeah, I'm exactly like him." Ren joked.

"Today more than ever you'll need to be like him… and me for that matter." Ren's mother once again ran her hands through Ren's hair trying to smooth out his ferocious strands.

"What do you mean mom?" said Ren.

"You'll see later today…" The Cheshire grin back on her face which made Ren slightly uneasy. Then again, this was nothing new: Ren's mom usually made a habit of letting people figure things out. She'd give the most ambiguous hints or double sided comments and would leave people to arrive their own conclusions. Whether or not they were right in the end was another story. She did the same with the characters of her books as well. Her books were the sort of drama where the main character either messes up a relationship or does something incredibly selfish that ends up hurting the people around them. The main character would either, realize the error in their ways and try to fix it, or the reader would see it, while the main character meets a gloomy and bloody end. Her books were not the fluffy happy go lucky books, and she was okay with that. Reality, as she would say, never sympathizes with the hero, so why should she?

Ren dashed out the door heading straight for the bus station. It took a five minute dash to the bus station from the flat. It didn't take long before Ren was seated, ticket in hand, waiting for the bus. Public transport was the way to go in a city as big as London. The subway could take you to any street you wanted in good time. The buses all connected to the famous landmarks as well as to the major business hubs and universities. Ren was glad that he wasn't driving anytime soon, but he knew that the English driving system was completely different from what he was used to in New York. The bus announced its arrival with a loud screech as it pulled into the station. After everyone had boarded the bus, it roared back to life and they were on their way. Ren had some time at the station and in the bus to regain his breath and to also prepare his papers to hand in to his professors. It wasn't very likely they were going to believe that a 14 year old was going to be attending their classes without the proper paper work. Ren wasn't intimidated. He had dealt with a variety of people who hated his guts or who didn't think that a "child" should be in college. Ren scoffed at their comments and had his witty remark to make that often silenced them instantly. Knowledge is a powerful thing indeed.

Ren glanced out the window at the blur of trees and buildings that passed them. One of them he instantly recognized as the British Library. He knew he'd be begging his dad if they could swing by later. Out of nowhere a strong tingling sensation traveled up Ren's arm and down his back. Ren felt his body switch to a guarded stance in his seat, which surprised him.

 _What's going on? Why do I feel so nervous?_ thought Ren to himself. He was scared at how his body acted on its own accord. He grabbed his arm and examined it making sure he hadn't pinched a nerve on accident while he was sitting down. Everything was fine, or so Ren thought. He didn't have much time to ponder on the issue before the bus screeched again to a stop. Ren peeked outside the window and saw the big golden letters of his college and a frenzy of people moving in all different directions.

Ren had two math classes for the morning, a science class after lunch, and two literature courses before four in the afternoon. The day flew past Ren in a blur of people, papers, and books. For the most part Ren liked his professors, who walked around with an air of sophistication. They understood his situation and welcomed him into their academia with open arms. His classmates were another story entirely. Some of them avoided him like the plague, others who were none the wiser mistook him for a lost child looking for help. Ren bore it with an irksome expression; there really wasn't anything he could do about it right now. He'd have to earn their respect and acceptance or he'd ignore them, both requiring equal effort, as Ren saw it. Eventually, his last class ended, but Ren was still full of energy, excited from the prospect of touring London with his family later that night.

Ren's mother signaled her presence with a couple of beeps from the red sports car in the parking lot. Her normally waist long hair was tied into a bun that fanned out on the side of her head and she wore a simple black dress complete with a sleeveless button up top.

"Someone looked like they had a good first day." said Ren's mother eyeing the smile on Ren's face.

"Just the opposite mom, I was happy to get out of there." said Ren.

"Aww… poor baby. Well I certainly hope that you won't feel the same when we go see your dad."

Ren opened the door and took shotgun, tossing his bag into the back passenger seat.

"Mooom." Ren drawled out.

"I'm just kidding honey, well almost. I know you'd be genuinely happy to see your dad."

"Seriously mom, I'm fine. I can handle myself, besides it's not like this is the first time this kinda thing happened."

Ren's mother shrugged her shoulders before shifting the car into drive and speeding down the streets of London. The university where Ren's father worked was only a couple of blocks from where Ren went to school. Ren was adamant about not going to the same school as his father to avoid suspicions of academic dishonesty, and simply because he wanted some degree of independence when it came to academics. His father understood where he was coming from, but none the less was a little sad that he couldn't show off his son to his colleagues.

"How was your day, mom?" asked Ren glancing from the window to look at his mother.

"It was okay, couldn't complain. I got another idea for a book. What do you think of a Yakuza – New York Mafia love story?" asked his mother.

"Well one, I think that would be interesting, but careful about what you put in there, and two, you're writing a love story?" retorted Ren.

"I can't keep being philosophical with my readers. My editor complained that my books were getting too gloomy, said that a love story could brighten up my writing style. But that doesn't mean I don't intend to put my own dark touch." said Ren's mother steering into the university parking lot.

"Mom, you know you're becoming a literal female Edgar Allan Poe right?" laughed Ren.

"Ah, you read my mind! Ren how did you ever guess?" Ren's mom laughed with a mix of sarcasm and mirth.

"Well I am your son." said Ren recovering from his laughter.

"Yeah, you are…" said Ren's mother somberly. Once the car was parked Ren's mother was the first to exit the car reaching for her phone to call Ren's dad. Ren followed, noticing the dramatic change in her behavior.

"Is everything alright?" asked Ren running over to her side.

"Yep! Looks like your dad's finished with class for the day too. He said he'll meet us halfway." And just like that her usual grin was back.

 _Mom, you scare me sometimes but I'm sure you already know that_. Ren thought. The rest of their walk quickly fell into a steady routine with Ren's mother greeting every professor and fan that passed by while Ren marveled at the buildings architecture. If Ren was choosing a school based on design alone, Ren would have definitely picked this one. Ren's father emerged out of the corner of the hall, clad in a tan suit dawning a purple tie and had a sun and moon clasp just above the buttons.

"Honey! Wow you look lovely in that outfit and your hair's up too." Ren's father greeted.

"Just right for a night out on the town." said Ren's mother.

"How was your first day son? Make any worthwhile memories?" asked Ren's father.

"I could have done without the staring and the name calling, but compared to all the other times today was practically a walk in the park." Ren replied folding his arms.

"That's academia for you. There will be people who will support you and carry you when you're down. Then there will be people who talk behind your back and do anything they can to bring you down. I've seen it all before." responded his father.

"I know, I know. So enough about that, what's the plan tonight?" asked Ren trying to change the subject.

"Well I was thinking about hitting the big stops Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the works. Then go for dinner and call it a night." said Ren's father.

"Sounds like a plan to me! Well what are we waiting for let's go!" said Ren.

"Now hang on there young man, I need to stop by the house to drop off my papers. You should probably take a bath too, you haven't even showered since we got here." laughed Ren's father, mock waving his hand around his noise.

"Well excuse me! I guess I'm still trying to adjust my personal clock since we got here." Ren folded his arms again, hiding a smile behind his pout.

He was surprised that none of them had any jet lag, considering they moved ahead by five hours. They were just an energetic family, Ren concluded.

"Alright! Home it is first! Besides Ren, a little R&R never hurt anyone." smiled Ren's mother as she walked past Ren retracing their route the way they came. She had barely taken two steps before her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID momentarily before asking Ren and her husband to be excused saying that it might be the publisher. Ren and his father only nodded and began the walk back toward the exit soon falling into a conversation of where they should eat tonight. Ren's mother waited until they were out of her line of sight before flipping open her phone.

"Hello? Ada, it's been a while…"


	2. Prologue Part 2

-A Ghost in the Mist-

London was so much more than Ren imagined. After they had left their apartment they first caught the late afternoon tour bus that visited the major landmarks. Ren's mother had made it her great ambition of making sure that they got off the tour bus to take pictures at each stop. Ren's father also didn't hold back, buying the cliché and tacky souvenirs at each tourist shop they stopped by and reserved dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in downtown. Ren wanted to hide his face in embarrassment, he didn't want to look like a tacky tourist, but most of all Ren was still thrown off at his parent's new spending habits. First it was the loft and all its grandeur, and now his dad was not only buying souvenirs that would probably fall apart within months but also a dinner for three at a super fancy restaurant. Dinner was pretty eventful in its own right. They ate a stereotypical French style restaurant that not only served good food in good portions but also knew how to empty a man's wallet in the course of two hours. Ren's father insisted and knew already what Ren was about to say as they were leaving the restaurant.

"You only live once, or I believe that's what your generation is all crazy about." he said with a grin.

"That doesn't mean I'm crazy about it, but you're right about tonight." said Ren.

"You're not usually the conservative type you know? I'd call you liberal in opinion but ever since we got to London you've been acting differently." said Ren's mother.

"It's a lot to take in. You know I was happy in New York in that shabby apartment with our life there. I know you and Dad want to bask in your success and you have every right to. I guess I just have to get used to it." said Ren.

"Hey its partly your success too to bask in. So stop being the family budget officer and just enjoy. I bet you enjoyed the five course meal we just had." said Ren's father.

"Don't remind me." said Ren grimacing at his stomach. Even though he knew he shouldn't have eaten everything on his plate, his body moved on its own accord betraying his thoughts entirely.

"At least that restaurant knows it has one mighty satisfied customer." laughed Ren's mother poking Ren's belly.

"Mooom." Ren drawled out again.

"So where to next? Cause I really wanna head home soon." said Ren.

"We have one final stop to make…" said Ren's father as he opened the door for Ren's mother then for Ren before he got in the car and started the engine.

-A Ghost in the Mist-

"The British Library?!" asked Ren as he stood at the bottom of the steps leading to its entrance.

"Yep, the British Library!" said Ren's mother taking another picture of Ren looking star struck at the classically designed building.

"Honey, could you take my picture? I want to go for a dramatic pose with Ren." said Ren's mother.

"Sure." Ren's father laughed and took the camera from her.

Ren snapped out of his gaze of adoration right after the camera flashed and took a picture of Ren's mother making a Shakespearian pose next to Ren.

"Why don't we go in? There's no point standing out here all night." said Ren's father.

"Alright, come on honey. I know looking at it is all good but better to go in."

"Ok." was all Ren said. The awe that Ren had felt before had died down but now was replaced with a hint of anxiety.

"Hey, I thought the library closes at nine right? It's almost midnight." Ren said checking his watch.

"Honey, I'm a world famous author and your dad is a prestigious professor of literature and composition. I'm _sure_ the library's just begging for us to come after hours." joked Ren's mother.

The doors of the library opened to reveal the main atrium decorated with ornate gold molding designed with patterned gold leaves. After a quick walk through a short hall way, the main library came into view. Book shelves surrounded the family as Ren looked up at the domed ceiling. The building was deserted, with only a few desk lamps on in random corners and one on the main desk in the center of the room. The books, shrouded in darkness, were the only observers to the family of three as they walked through the shelves taking note of their surroundings.

Ren was starting to feel his chest tighten again, any trace of his previous elation was slowly disappearing with every step he took deeper into the library.

 _What's going on? This is freaking nuts! I've never been this anxious before. Get it together Ren, you wanted to come here remember?_ They soon arrived near a set of stairs that spiraled into the upper levels.

"Why is it so dark? I thought there would at least be some people here." said Ren. But when he turned around he was all alone.

"Mom? Dad?" No response. Ren turned to his left and to his right. He could barely make out the set of stairs that led to the second floor and another that led to the fourth floor. He checked behind him, the way they came from was no longer there. Instead there was now a wall where the path they were walking on once was in view.

"Seriously guys, this is the worst joke ever!" Ren was beyond irritated now, but at the same time Ren couldn't help feel a little afraid. Ren was worried about his mother and father but at the same time he had a feeling that they were involved in some way with his current predicament. He'd have to find them and ask them himself. Ren slowly took a step forward and tried to peer through the darkness when he felt something solid at his feet. It was a box tied with a red ribbon and a label that said "Happy Birthday Ren Ichihara."

Ren was curious but cautious as he opened the box. Inside was a 9mm hand gun and a couple ammunition attachments. Ren picked up the gun, he had never used a gun before but somehow he felt very well acquainted with it.

 _What do I need a gun for? This is seriously starting to creep me out._

In an instant the lights came on and Ren found himself no longer in the rustic open space of the library and instead in a metallic hallway. Suddenly, some of the wall panels opened and out came robot android armed with machine guns and began firing at Ren. Ren thought he was a goner, but once again his body was moving on its own. He had the gun out the moment the robots emerged from the wall and he was already firing away. He rounded a couple of androids before his gun ran out of ammo. He reached in his pockets to reload but quickly dodge rolled out of a hail of bullets. He reloaded and unloaded two more ammo clips before all of the androids were down.

 _What the fuck is happening to me?! How is my body moving on its own like that?! First things first, gotta find a way out of here! I can ask questions if and when I make it out alive._

Ren walked over to one of the fallen bots and picked up some ammo before he reloaded his gun. Ren walked cautiously down the hallway, his steps echoing loudly as he moved. A loud beeping noise soon filled the hall and had Ren back in a defense stance. The bottom of the walls lifted up slightly and out came little rover bots that had explosives attached. One bot got close to Ren and started beeping erratically.

"That doesn't sound so good." Ren said before dodging the bot and avoiding its explosion. Ren took out his gun again and aimed for the bot next to him and pulled the trigger. The bot exploded, but what Ren hadn't anticipated were the bots next to the bot he was aiming for. The result was a chain reaction causing a compounding explosion throwing Ren some distance away. Ren hit the wall hard before falling like a rag doll to the ground below. Ren coughed up some blood as he tried to get up. The walls next to him were opening up and more bots were coming out.

"Didn't see… that…coming…" Ren got up as quickly as he could. He took out his gun again and aimed for a trio of bots in the back of the group. They exploded without incident and Ren quickly again dodged the bots in front of him before they exploded. Ren saw more bots coming out from the walls in front of him.  
"Gee, there's no end to them is there… I might have to make a run for it." Ren knew there was a lag of a couple seconds before each bot exploded. If he could time it right he could get through the line ahead of him. Ren was getting physically fatigued, he wasn't sure if he had it in him to run any more. But he had to if he wanted to escape and find his parents. He took a second to breathe and prepare as the bots began to creep up on him. With a burst of energy he ran into a sprint, the bots exploded in succession behind him throwing him ironically forward only helping Ren. After the final bot exploded Ren had the wind knocked out of him again but this time from behind. He would have face panned if it wasn't for his newly noticed reflexes forcing his body to do a forward handstand flip. Ren landed on his feet somehow and wobbled a bit before he regained his balance.

"I've just about had it…Seriously I need to frickin' find someone, anyone...I just want to get out of here."

What scared Ren even more than the barrage of robots, the gun in his hand, the explosions, the intensity of it all was that even though he wanted out, a part of him wanted in. A part of him craved the excitement, the mystery, to embrace the danger of the moment. His heart was racing, banging in his ears, his palms were sweaty and clammy as he struggled to walk. The hallways that seemed to go on forever soon split into two corridors.

"So a left and a right huh? Wonder which way I should go?" Ren thought more of the lines of luck instead of any strategy. Both hallways looked the same in appearance, and he suspected that both hallways were probably rigged with more traps or worse. Ren felt his body being tugged to the hallway to the left, that similar instinct from earlier was kicking in again. Ren walked into the left hallway, he was able to pick up more ammo from the destroyed bot parts and keep his gun at the ready. He scanned the hallway carefully waiting for a new wave of bots or worse. And as if to confirm his suspicions the hallway began to shift again, this time instead of robots coming out of the walls it was a row of swinging blades that alternated their movements in succession.

"Oh you've got to kidding me!" Ren exclaimed as he dodged the first row of blades that came from his behind. He didn't see the blades that came from the left wall until it was too late. He was able to dodge but not before the blade grazed his left leg, the swish of the blade and the little splash of red on his right leg confirmed the cut. Ren hissed in pain, but didn't have the time or the peace to check out his injury at the moment. His focus now was trying to find a path through the swinging blades. He worked on his timing and keeping track of the rhythm that the blades swung. He dodged another two rows and jumped an additional before he came across two blades that were moving impossibly fast. He knew there was no way any normal person could jump through that and survive, something was gonna end up getting cut off and Ren preferred having all of his body parts. Ren looked at the blade a little closely. They were all coming out of the walls, but each of the slower blades never fully made it out of the walls, the blades that were moving the fastest were completely exposed and Ren was able to spot a hinge on each one.

"Maybe I can shoot them off. Hopefully that'll stop em'" He took out his gun and aimed for the first blade, he fired a couple of misses before he finally hit the hinge. The blade quite literally fell out of the wall, but the blades in front began moving even faster. Ren noticed the more blades he was able to stop the next set became faster and more erratic in timing. He fired more misses, he knew that he had to conserve ammo, he had a feeling that this whole mess was far from over. He took a breath as he aimed and steadied his body and his mind. He pulled the trigger and stopped another set of blades, but he saw the walls ahead of him opened up and out emerged human sized androids equipped with fully automatic rifles. Ren froze, he seriously didn't know what was going to end up killing him first whether it was going to be those robots or the swinging blades in front of him. He was convinced that death had come for him tonight, as it did in many of the books he coveted from Edgar Allan Poe. The bots however didn't raise their guns yet, they were still but they were active. Ren got the feeling that they were watching and waiting. As soon as he shot the last hinge, they would raise their guns and open fire. He was starting to run out of ideas, even if he could pull of a succession of head shots there was a high chance that one of the bots would kill him with an automatic rifle. He had to focus, if he wanted to live and tell off his parents for playing the worst practical joke ever if he could still call it that. People say that when you're about to die or when you feel you're about to that your life as it was flashes before your eyes, every single moment you savored and every moment that you loved as well as the not so treasured moments. It was just the opposite for Ren, the life he felt that he would've had flashed before his eyes; becoming a successful author, having a life of his own, finding the man of his dreams, starting a family. He was starting to give up hope as he searched for who knows what that can get him out of this death trap. A faint red blinking distracted Ren from his thoughts. At the back wall at the end of the hallway he spotted a single red blinking button. Ren thought that his prayers were answered maybe that button could stop the bots or the blades or hopefully both, but what if the button activated something else more horrifying. Ren was willing to risk it at this point, and his inner instincts didn't seem to object as he raised his gun and took aim. It was gonna be one hell of a shot, he would have to fire through swinging blades and even after that the button was all the way at the end of the hallway. He once again took another steadying breath and aimed. He pulled the trigger and the gun fired. The bullet traveled through the blades, miraculously making it through the swinging metal, and hit the button dead on. The blades stopped, just as Ren predicted, and the bots began to activate, but what Ren didn't predict was one of the panels of the side wall opening revealing a hidden path. Ren had to make a run for it, it wouldn't be too long before a barrage of bullets would be coming his way. He dashed into the passage way, it was more narrow than the hallway that he was previously in but the appearance was the same. The path had a lot of sharp corners and turns, Ren was having a hard time keeping up with the dizzying set up. The bots were hot on his tail and were firing away. Ren was thankful that there were a lot of turns, he was narrowly able to dodge the bullets that came his way. The path soon widened again and after a final turn Ren entered a solid metal room and at the back of the room were a row of bots with guns held at the ready. He quickly searched the room for something, anything to take down the bots. He could still hear the horde of bots coming from behind. He felt a draft and turned his attention to the top back wall and he saw a vent. The walls of the hallways before were completely solid and save for the areas where the bots came out from but they were just little enclosed spaces to store things. This was the first time that he saw any evidence of ventilation. Ren needed to find a way to make it up, but there wasn't anything to stand on and he was way too short to even jump for it. He had a quick idea, his inner instinct again, he took out his gun and shot a couple of the bots below the vent. As those bots began to fall Ren took a quick jump stepping onto a bots head and quickly climbing the falling bots like a flight of stairs before he took a final jump and reached the vent. He quickly kicked it in and made it into the vent before any of the bots and their bullets were able to reach him. He took a sigh of relief as he heard the bots trying to jump up the wall to reach the vent but the sound of crushing metal told him that they weren't making it up anytime soon. He cautiously crawled through the vent. He felt a breeze up ahead and saw light peeking through one of the grates up ahead. What he saw as he peered below the grate was something he never would have imagined to be in a library. It was some sort of command center, levels upon levels of computer array and people typing away at their computers, talking on the phone, even some conducting meetings in an office made entirely of glass. This was no ordinary office environment. The logo that appeared on the big monitor was something that Ren had never seen before, and the people below resembled MI6 by their mannerisms and the stereotypical suites that they were wearing. Ren moved closer to get a better look but when he did he felt the vent below him shift and began to twist forward. Ren tried to steady the vent, he couldn't have been _that_ heavy he thought, but that made the vent shift more until it broke sending Ren free falling down below. He landed on his side and gave a groan of pain. The entire area quieted down and all the focus was on Ren as he took in surroundings. He was aware of the attention that was directed on him but he was too exhausted to care.

"Hi honey! Glad to see you could make it!" Up above on a nearby balcony stood Ren's parents: Yuko and Clow looking pleased and proud and of course relieved. Ren gave a glare that was mixed with relief, which on a normal day would have been funny to Ren but he had been through some serious shit. A pair of red heels appeared in front of Ren's face. He looked up to see a woman in a clad red suite adorned with small butterflies and complimented with a short black dress. She had black hair and a pair of brown eyes that were focused on his own. Ren got up and stood as straight as he could as the woman examined him. He didn't feel intimidated at all when she returned to look into his face with a look of intensity as if she was trying to find something in his eyes, instead Ren gave a glare of his own trying in his condition to not back down. After what seemed to be an eternity, the woman gave a large grin and patted Ren on the shoulder, a complete 180 of her initial attitude.

"Congratulations on passing the exam. Welcome to M.I.S.T. The name's Ada Wong."

Master

Intelligence

Superior

Transcendence unit

(A/N: Finally, prologue's over. Logan and Hesh will be making their appearance in the main story. Look forward to it!)


	3. Brave New World

A Ghost in the Mist Chapter 1:

Los Angeles すばらしい新世界(Brave New World)

(A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed this story. I sure hope that you guys are enjoying it so far. As you all know this story is a crossover between Call of Duty Ghosts and Axis Powers Hetalia with some Resident Evil and CLAMP characters/influence. You'll definitely start to see some tell-tale elements from Resident Evil coming up in the next couple of chapters and maybe a couple of surprises in terms of characters so look forward to it! ^^)

" _Dad taught us many things, but one lesson always stood out. Good men are defined by the choices they make."_ – Hesh Walker

Things were never the same as Logan remembered them. The attack by ODIN left a deep scar on the land that was once called San Diego. The once bustling streets teeming with surfers and tourists were now deserted, fractured, and the city itself was one big crater. Logan and his brother Hesh had made up their minds, long before the ODIN attack, that they would follow in their parent's footsteps. They signed up in the army as soon as they graduated high school. Their father, Elias, had been preparing them since they were kids to be soldiers, whether or not they would have chosen that path. After ODIN, Hesh and Logan knew that they were fated to be soldiers, fated to fight, and they knew that the road wouldn't be easy. They were hell bent on revenge for one, for all the innocent lives lost, the destruction of their city, their country, and mostly their lives as they knew it. They had a lot of close calls, Hesh and Logan had the scars to prove it. The Federation had the upper hand from the start; they were already on America's doorstep just as ODIN was ushering chaos and disaster. The last resort the United States had decided upon was constructing a "Wall" over five stories tall that spanned the border. Needless to say that a lot of men had died fending off the Federation during the "Wall's" construction.

-A Ghost in the Mist-

 _-Los Angeles, California_ -

It's been 10 years since the ODIN incident. Logan and Hesh had been assigned to guard duty on a flank on the wall. Lately Federation attacks have escalated all along the wall. They fought two squads last night who had breached the wall with minimal difficulty, but they were only fending off the enemy not fighting the enemy. Hesh and Logan were both craving to actually do some real damage, turn the tide of the battle. Little did they know they'd get their chance soon.

Hesh was beyond exhausted of the near sleepless night they had endured. But he sensed Logan was ready to collapse out of sheer exhaustion so he suggested they take a quick break. Logan was beyond grateful and was asleep in a matter of seconds. They were assigned to scout an abandoned building near the wall that had been rumored to be a safe house for the Feds that made it past the wall. Riley, their faithful dog and friend, didn't necessarily think a break was a good idea, he was still full of energy and raring to tear something apart missing his usual toy. Hesh chuckled when Riley tried to wake up a sleeping Logan to try to play catch with him.

"Here boy, he's not gonna be up for a while. Here, fetch!" Hesh took a ball out of his front pocket and threw it down the hall. Riley dashed down the hall and in a matter of seconds returned to Hesh ball in hand, more like in slobbery jaw. Hesh took the ball from Riley and begun throwing it along the wall to try to get Riley to follow the ball, much like a cat trying to follow a laser. Hesh and Logan meet Riley five years into their military career. They were best buds from the start, an instantaneous friendship. Hesh thought they had been war buddies in some past life, Logan only hummed in agreement.

They had settled into a rhythm of Riley trying to snatch the ball out of the air as Hesh changed the direction and trajectory of the throw, when his comm link began beeping. Hesh relented in letting Riley have the ball, which Riley responded with a satisfied bark, while he turned on his comm link.

"Viking Six, you there? Hesh? Logan?" asked the soldier on the line.

"Copy, yeah, we're here. Go ahead." answered Hesh eyeing Logan and Riley briefly.

"Reports are coming in. Dallas got overrun last night. Command wants another sweep of the wall ASAP."

"Ah, shit. Any survivors?" asked Hesh.

"Negative." was all that was said before the transmission cut off. Hesh balled his fingers in a fist, his knuckles turning white. It was always the same, no matter how much they had fought it seemed like the death toll kept rising because of some screw up or weakness they hadn't thought of. Hesh steadied his breathing as he heard Logan begin to stir.

Logan blinked himself into consciousness, the blurry world slowly coming into focus. They were still sitting in the same hallway, still in that abandoned building they were ordered to investigate. The sound of a ball whizzing by and bouncing on the wall next to him along with Riley's excited pants drew his attention to Hesh.

"Sorry I didn't wake you. Thought you could use the sleep." said Hesh. If Logan could talk he'd apologize to Hesh for falling asleep during the middle of a mission. All he could do was smile sheepishly at Hesh as he rubbed the back of head. There was a muffled crash in the distance that caused Riley's ears to perk up and in alert stance. Hesh was immediately by Riley, a steady hand on patting his dog's side.

"Quiet, boy. Listen. I think Riley's got something. Grab your gear, let's move." Logan and Hesh both readied their Honey Badger assault rifles, Hesh gave Riley a supportive pat before Riley ran toward the direction of the sound. Hesh turned on his comm link to call their support.

"Team Two are you near our position?"

"Negative. We're outside. You boys got something?" asked the soldier on the line.

"Riley does. We're checkin' it out now." said Hesh.

"Roger. We'll secure the exit. Two-one out." the transmission ends with a beep.

Hesh and Logan follow Riley to a collapsed room and what looks like a tarp painting covering the door way. Logan concluded that this building must've been some sort of art museum before ODIN, pieces of burned paintings and broken frames lying scattered about seemed to only prove that point. Hesh took out his tactical knife and cut an opening in the tarp.

"Through here." Hesh guides Riley and Logan follows them into larger room, a collapsed auditorium. The seats were all disheveled and tattered and the collapsed rubble seemed to form ramps that lead to multiple levels of the room. Hesh took a quick scan, taking in their surrounding environment. 'Observation is key to being a good soldier.' their father always taught them.

"Cover me. Riley." Hesh quietly orders and goes on ahead with Riley. Ever since they were kids Hesh has always been the one to take the lead in their play and in their exercises with their dad, playing the big brother role, even now was no exception.

"It's clear, come on up." Logan quickly catches up, and soon the trio encounters some a rustling sound coming from the double doors ahead.

"That's close, take the door to the right." Logan got into position and waited for his brother's signal. Hesh gives a small nod and Logan busts the door gun at the ready. Logan was expecting a small battalion of Federation troops with guns pointed at his direction, instead what he got were two frightened deer. The pair of deer leapt erratically, alerted by Logan's unwelcomed intrusion into what was an otherwise peaceful moment and quickly vanished from sight. Riley barged into the door barking at the deer, if he didn't have Logan and Hesh with him he probably would've chased them down. Hesh gave a small chuckle and patted Riley right behind his head.

"Guess Riley was getting hungry. You don't want anything out here, boy. Let's head back and get you some real food." said Hesh. Logan was surprised and glad that despite the chaos of the war at least life at least continued on. Even the deer seemed to find peace in the battle worn ruin around them.

"Six-one, sitrep?" asked the soldier on the other line.

"Just some local wildlife. We're good." Hesh responded as he watched Riley running up ahead.

"Check. We're moving up to RP 'Silver', copy?" asked the soldier.

"Yeah, we'll join you. Meet us at the wall. We're on our way out." said Hesh.

"Rog'" said the soldier before ending the transmission. Hesh looked around briefly seeing not too far behind him kept a steady pace with Riley in toe.

The beat up shops and dilapidated buildings seem to open up a path toward the one thing the US had invested all hope to protect its cities and borders: the "Wall".

"There she is. Lookin' like hell but still standing." said Hesh gesturing to the wall. Each of the battered, eroded slabs of concrete that made up the wall are a testament to the bloody stalemate that the US and Federation had been fighting. Neither side was making any ground, and each sharing their fair share of losses. In a fair fight, the war would have ended years ago in a draw. But neither side was fighting fair, each coming up with one grandiose tactic after another. Out of the corner of his vision Logan spots the soldier waiting for them at the rendezvous point.

"Yo." Hesh greets him with a wave.

"Seargent." the soldier acknowledges back with a nod.

"Your area secure?" asked Hesh.

"Just about. Need to sweep this side of the wall and we're good." replied the soldier.

"We'll take this side," Hesh said gesturing to Logan and Riley, "should go quick. Regroup at the gas station."

"You got it." said the soldier with a curt nod and he went on his way.

Hesh and Logan walked down the fragmented roads of what was once downtown Los Angeles. The broken Hollywood sign was only one of the reminders of how alive the city used to be. Logan could imagine the streets filled with people, like he and Hesh used to watch on TV when they were younger, gathering for some sort of glam A-list party; the rich and famous showing off their latest toys and accessories, reporters and the paparazzi ogling over who wore who and scattering all the latest gossip to the air waves. ODIN changed all of that of course. Survival became everyone's number one top priority, since the Federation could strike anytime and anywhere. A small tremor shook Logan from his musings back to reality. He heard Riley's whines and knelt down to help Hesh calm him down.

"Hey boy it's alright, shhh that's a good boy." whispered Hesh.

Logan brought his hand up to scratch at Riley's favorite spot, just behind his ears. That had an instantly calming effect on Riley and within seconds he was wagging his tail and his head was held high sniffing out for Federation soldiers. Almost instantly, Riley's ears perked up, he was focused onto a rundown building to their left. His bark got Logan's and Hesh's attention.

"Hey Riley, come on, search." Hesh quietly orders.

Riley gives a bark and slowly and stealthily crawls ahead. Hesh sees him turn a corner before he and Logan cautiously move through the rubble. Radio static came up in Hesh's communication, causing him to lean into his radio. He could make out some words in Spanish; "prisoner" and "weakness" alerted him to possible fed soldiers and captured civvies. He raises a hand to Logan, signaling him to wait.

"You hear that? Someone's out there. Wait for Riley, if he attacks a target shoot to kill." whispered Hesh. Logan nodded and the brothers split, one going to the left the other to the right. A soldier comes into view, he was clad in a uniform that Logan knew screamed Federation. One of the essential rules that Logan's dad had always preached was patience on the battlefield. It could mean the difference between success or failure, victory or defeat, life or death. He had a lot of experience and the scars to prove that advice is sound. He spots Riley out of the corner of his eye, and in an instant jumps the soldier catching him by surprise. He yells in pain and tries to get Riley off just as his comrades spot Logan and Hesh and open fire.

"Drop these guys! Riley, go!" Hesh yells as he fires his Honey badger. Just as the words were coming out of Hesh's mouth Logan was already firing his honey badger, dropping two soldiers in the process. The fight was no contest, Hesh, Logan, and Riley cleaned up the small team in little less than five minutes. The three of them were an excellent team, one of the best in the unit and were usually called on for the toughest missions.

"Riley, stay. Fed recon again. That's five this month, already." Hesh said.

Hesh and Logan both reloaded their honey badgers, Hesh raised his hand to his ear piece to alert their team mates.

"Two-one, we just engaged another Federation recon team. Meet us at 'Overwatch', we need to regroup now."

"Check, we're on our way." The soldier said.

They were just outside of what looked to be a restaurant, the area where they had their skirmish used to be a patio of some sort. Hesh didn't waste much time taking the details in he was already moving forward, Logan didn't take much time either soon behind his big brother. They made their way into a ruined building that opened into the patio. Hesh made sure Logan and Riley we're good before kicking down a wall that was in their way. Logan only gawked at his brother's strength but he wasn't surprised. Hesh whistled to get Riley's attention. The sight that soon came into view was one of their worst fears. A bunch of Fed soldiers were holding three civilians captive.

"Leave him alone!" one of the civilians yelled trying to get one of the soldiers to focus their attention on him. It worked, only that they ended up shooting them in the head execution style.

"Come on! They're executing civvies! Move in, move in! Riley, go!" yelled Hesh.

Logan took out his honey badger and was in a sprint toward the gas station taking out targets to his left. Riley ran out in front jumping a soldier that Logan didn't see. Hesh wasn't too far behind, taking out a couple of soldiers himself. The fight made its way into the gas station. Logan reloaded his honey badger and took out a couple of soldiers near the gas pumps. The gas station had but all but abandoned, gasoline hadn't flowed here in years, so he wasn't worried if shot a couple pumps. Logan dodged out of the way as his brother fired his honey badger taking out some soldiers in their front. Each of them knew what the other was thinking, and each of them had a plan to help the other in a moments notice. Their back up took care of the ones in the left and on the sides. Once again, the team cleaned up in record time.

"This way. Riley, come!" called Hesh.

Riley was instantly by Hesh's side panting and receiving a well-earned pat from Hesh. Logan was reloading his gun when he heard a transmission over the comm line, he squinted in focus trying to make out the message over the static.

"All available units, we have a Federation contact at the wall! We need back up, now! Repeat, we are under attack!" yelled the soldier in desperation.

"We've got you lima charlie! Pop smoke, we're headed to you!" Hesh yelled back, trying to calm the soldier a little bit. No one on their team may have noticed, but Logan could hear a future leader inside Hesh, he'd make a great commander if the war continued. He had the determination and calm to see a situation through and always took care of the guys under his command, although he could be a little dense when it came to reading people.

"Roger that! Popping green smoke in our position!" said the soldier.

In the distance Logan could make out a plume of green smoke that signaled where their comrades were. He and the rest of the team took off in a sprint racing away from the gas station toward the plume of green. Logan could feel the sting of the sun as he ran down the street, the pipe offering little shade and comfort from the heat. He heard gun fire as they emerged from the pipe. Hesh once again springing forward from the two to engage the enemy head on, Logan not too far behind him and he too was taking aim at some of the soldiers hiding behind some of the cars, shooting a couple of them while dodging some of the bullets that flew his way. Logan noticed movement on the bridge and saw some Fed soldiers equipped with sniper rifles, the barrels facing him and a nearby soldier. He almost quite literally flew, honey badger in hand, knocking the intended target of a Fed sniper round while firing his gun in that general direction. He landed with a grunt and helped the other soldier up to his feet and noted that he had hit his target, one less sniper on the bridge, but just like a Hydra two more replaced him. Hesh took out a couple more, his honey badger firing in a constant hum as he took out three more feds. Their team was focusing on the soldiers beneath the bridge, they were forming a human barricade trying to keep them from reaching the rest of their team who were cornered at the wall. It wasn't easy and it seemed like neither side was willing to give up any ground, but the feds couldn't hold their positions much longer and it was obvious they were outgunned. It didn't take long before the whole squad was finished.

"Man it's good to see you again Sergeant. And you too Riley." Said the soldier giving Riley a smile to which Riley acknowledged with a bark.

"It's not over yet." Hesh said as the whir of battle hind soon filled the sky. Logan was able to grab a RPG strategically placed on a nearby table.

"You got this Logan! Take care of the birds, we'll give you some cover fire!" Yelled Hesh over the helicopter's engine as it lowered to drop more soldiers. It then turned its attention and its machine guns towards their team.

Logan didn't hesitate with the launcher, firing a rocket at the nearest helicopter. The rocket was guided by Logan's precise targeting with the laser and slammed itself in the cockpit of the helicopter, exploding on impact. Logan quickly reloaded his RPG, taking aim at the next helicopter. Hesh and the guys were holding their own as well, taking out the soldiers on the bridge as quickly as they dropped from the helicopter. Hesh ducked behind a burned out car as a grenade detonated near their direction, momentarily distracting Logan from his aim, but he trusted Hesh. He returned to his task and fired another rocket, bringing down the helicopter right on the bridge, the explosion taking out a good number of the fed soldiers that just dropped from the same helicopter.

"Nice one, Logan!" Hesh hollered in approval.

Logan nodded and returned Hesh's words with a small grin of his own. The smoke cleared and what the light had shown was a completely wiped out fed squadron and their helicopters, now a pile of twisted and burning mangled metal. There was a small wave of celebration amongst the team, high fives and battle cries dominated the scene until Hesh composed himself to give commands as they headed toward their MATV. He raised his arm and cleared his throat, signaling an end to their celebration.

"Corporal Davis, you're on transport. Logan you're on security in the back." said Hesh.

"Yes sir, commandeering for transport." replied the corporal and got to the driver's seat. Logan gave a nod of acknowledgement hopped onboard in the back, while Hesh made sure that Riley was fine. Hesh checked the time on his watch as the MATV roared to life. The gates ahead of them, keeping what was left of society from the badlands of L.A., creaked open revealing the road to Fort Santa Monica. Logan gave Riley a pat before turning his attention to the road ahead and behind, though the battle was over and they were heading into their own turf, he learned it never hurt to expect the unexpected. The ride back to HQ was bumpy, even before ODIN the drive between L.A. to Santa Monica wasn't a flat plain. Hesh turned to Logan to make sure he was alright, his big brother instincts kicking in. Once he was satisfied he turned his eyes back on the road.

-A Ghost in the Mist-

The drive didn't take too long, within 20 minutes the whole crew was entering the base they referred to as Fort Santa Monica. They had to cross a civilian zone to get one where there was always a crowd of civilians protesting about the lack of resources and the distribution of aid given. Nothing new Logan thought, times were tough and they were just trying to get as much as they could to help their families. Logan knew better than to dabble in politics, a soldier's job was to fight and defend people, not laws and policies. Fort Santa Monica was a city and a make shift army base all in one. The apartment buildings had been turned into barracks to house soldiers and supplies. The streets were teeming with soldiers, either on break or heading to their next assignment. A pair of jets flew overhead, part of the patrol over the skies of the base, though Logan could do without the constant jet noise.

"Hey, Riley!" called a soldier from the street.

Riley, during the ride had climbed up on the hatch to get some fresh air as they drove to the base. Logan only smiled as Riley barked at hearing his name, dogs will be dogs he supposed. The MATV came to a stop and he moved to get out.

"This is us, Seargent." Hesh got out of the MATV thanking the corporal, while Riley jumped down from the hatch and was following the brothers into HQ.

"Riley, stay. Come on, let's find the old man." Logan nodded and followed Hesh up the stairs, leaving Riley in the garage. The walls of the command center were lined with monitors, each displaying a map or news reports coming in about the recent attacks, the newest one detailing the carnage in Dallas. Logan kept his focus to finding their dad, who was huddled together with a bunch of guys in the largest monitor up front.

"Dad!" Hesh called, getting their dad's attention.

"I heard about the attack. You boys OK?" he asked surveying Hesh's face before looking at Logan and inspecting his body for injuries.

"Always." was Hesh's reply, the Walkers were men of few words but they were able to convey the depth of their emotions with something more powerful, their actions.

Elias gave Hesh a pat on his shoulder and gave a nod to Logan, "Walk with me."

Elias led them out of the control room, away from the flashing monitors up a set of stairs.

"Dad, they were executing civilians…" said Hesh, their dad didn't miss a beat as he jogged up the stairs, both Logan and Hesh doing the same.

"I know. Their recon teams round up scavengers, drifters, hoping to find a way into the city. It's how they took Dallas practically overnight." The news didn't sit well with Logan, his mind was putting the pieces together about what possible plans the Feds had with their own city.

"So how can we help?" asked Hesh. The trio entered into a kitchenette usually used for coffee breaks and the occasional snack. The kitchenette opened up to another room that was a miniature version of the one downstairs, there were papers sprawled about the large central table. There were also more monitors on the walls giving updates and satellite images of the various areas in the US and Mexico, probably a briefing room.

"Listen," Elias began gesturing to Logan and Hesh "you boys… you are the only thing I have left in this world-"

"Dad. Listen…" Hesh interrupted, hoping to give his dad some assurance that they were strong and capable, no way they were gonna bite the dust soon. Logan felt the same; if he could talk he'd back Hesh up.

"But you are also the only ones I can trust." Elias finished giving Hesh some vindication to what he was gonna try to say.

"Hey, look, whatever it is, Logan and I, we're ready." Hesh turned to Logan, who nodded again, giving his father a determined look and all of his attention.

Elias hesitated, but not long, "You two are going to No Man's Land." he said as they followed him out a set of sliding doors onto a balcony with a view of the pier. The once famous beach amusement park of Santa Monica lay in ruin and in view, next to a couple of air craft carriers stationed at the bay's mouth.

"Wait for real?" asked Hesh, at the moment in a state of disbelief and anticipation. Few men ever got to go to No Man's Land, in a way this would be one of his and Logan's biggest tasks, even more so since their dad was giving it to them in person.

"We've been on the defensive for far too long. So I'm sending you outside the wall. You'll link up with a recon team, gather any intel you can on the enemy and get your asses back here." Elias said surveying the beach and the makeshift air field and barracks below them.

"So where exactly in No Man's Land are we going?" Hesh stealing the words, more like the thoughts, from Logan as he was absorbing the news of them going to uncharted terrain.

"Somewhere that you know better than anyone. You're going home." Elias turned his head back to the beach, looking like he was regretting his decision already. Hesh looked at his father intently, words trying to form in his mouth.

"Don't worry, we'll make you proud." he waved his hand to Logan urging him to follow him so they could come up with a battle plan and organize their gear, leaving their father alone with his thoughts. They didn't have much time, in less than a day they were going to No Man's Land to fight back, something they'd be irking to do since the war began.

-A Ghost in the Mist-

 _Meanwhile in No Man's Land…_

Ren hadn't expected a ride in a cargo plane to go so smoothly as it had been so far. Usually, at this point they'd encounter some turbulence or something to jolt him in his seat. He'd chalked it as a plus and adjusted the strap to his parachute.

" _I need you to be my eyes and ears in No Man's Land. Your mission is to survey the area, report back any activity, Fed or US, in three days."_ Was all the orders Ada had given him. Ren unbuckled his seat belt as he neared the back of the plane. He grabbed onto his supply bag as the ramp of the plane opened, the air escaping and creating a vacuum inside. Ren looked at the ground below before checking his coordinates on his P.D.A before flipping it closed. He took off in a sprint and jumped off, freefalling for a couple thousand feet trying to look for a place to land before he deployed his chute. He glided to a small clearing but still surrounded with brush to at least conceal his presence. Making an airdrop was risky, enough even more so during the day, and it would definitely ruin his objective if he was seen landing. Ren unbuckled the straps and tossed the chute aside. He grabbed his supply bag and took out his ammo box 50 machine pistol just in case.

"So this is No Man's Land…"


	4. No Man's Land

A Ghost in the Mist Chapter 2: San Diego ノー·マンズ·ランド

(No Man's Land)

(A/N: Once again thank you all for reviewing my story. So far I'm really having a blast writing this story, and I hope that you guys are enjoying this as much as I am. I didn't say this beforehand, but this story we'll be slash. If you have a problem with boyxboy I'd suggest turning back now and browsing the various stories out there that might suit your fancy. Otherwise read on ^^)

" _It is important to remain calm and collected, even in the most extreme situations…" –Ada Wong_

After his first meeting with Ada, Ren's life as a college student, the life he thought he was gonna have, changed forever. Not that his life had been normal up to that point, but there were times Ren wished he could go back to being a naïve boy who had endless possibilities opened to him. It turned out his parents, Clow and Yuko were former spies who retired from the organization that Ren was currently impressed into: M.I.S.T. an organization surrounded by mystery. They came into existence after the first World War, as a sort of police force to control the flow of information to influence the tides of war. After the second World War, they expanded operations the world over. They would claim they were successful each time, but they had their flaws as well. Each agent of M.I.S.T. represented their own designated country, and thus M.I.S.T. was an exclusive and elusive club to join. Recruitment was decided by blood, as Ren was, or by recommendation, which was once in a blue moon. They were very careful about who they picked, they were in the business of maintaining global order after all. Either way prospective agents had to pass had to pass a rigorous entrance exam, a pain in the butt was what Ren thought of the whole thing. Despite his angst Ren's parents rejoiced at his initiation and only said that it was his destiny and that he could choose what he wanted to do with it. He started training under Ada, who was then serving as "Hong Kong" a year before the ODIN incident. ODIN was a wakeup call to the entire world about the Federation's ambitions. Ren was particularly shaken up by the whole thing, it hardened him and destroyed any innocent notions of the world he had left. When Ada was promoted as the Chief of Operations, the one running the show as she worded it, Ren became the new "Hong Kong." That was five years ago. Since then M.I.S.T has focused on dealing with Federation sympathizers in Europe and Asia. This was their first opportunity to investigate the enemy head on at their doorstep.

Ren had never been to California, but he always saw postcards about how beautiful a state it is. "Was" he should say. The craters that ODIN left in its wake dominated the landscape and what was left of downtown San Diego. It looked eerie, like you could still hear the screams of the people, smell the fires that raged, and almost see the destruction taking place again and again. Must be more painful for those who actually survived Ren thought, but somewhere in his head he knew they had to be stronger for it.

Camping overnight in the grass wasn't so bad, he and Ada had trained under worse conditions. Ren didn't relish their journey through the sewers of France just to tag a politician, who was embezzling money to the Federation cause. Last night was pretty uneventful, the only thing Ren saw and heard were the local wildlife. According to M.I.S.T., the Federation was supposedly scouring for something near the coast of San Diego.

The tall grass was a good place to hide. He didn't exactly pick camo to wear on any of his missions, he wore a red cheongsam that stopped half way down his body running into his black pants that too stopped half way down his legs. He complimented it with traditional Chinese leggings and black combat boots. It was important for M.I.S.T. agents to be in uniform, even in missions, and there were few exceptions when the rule didn't apply. He didn't mind, except in this case red stood out from the golden brown grass that he was hiding in, but he would make do. Ren didn't travel far from where he landed the day before. Knowing one's surroundings was number one priority before spying on the enemy. It was essential to know how to take advantage of secrete short cuts for attack and escape, the more paths the better. Ren peered through the grass before he moved silently, almost crawling near the ridge that peered out to the destroyed neighborhoods that clung to the hills. The tattered houses could be good hiding places for Fed soldiers, so Ren made a plan to avoid them until he was sure. He could hide in them later and surprise any Fed patrol that happened to be unfortunate enough to cross his path. He jumped down from the ridge, about a twenty foot drop and landed in more brush before he moved again. It was almost ten in the morning, meaning that if there weren't any patrols that had stayed behind there would be certainly ones coming this way. Ren crept closer to a house he'd been eyeing. It was a parlor style house that was painted blue, it looked like a bomb exploded in the garage because the whole left side of the house including the garage was blown and charred. Ren climbed inside, machine pistol in hand. He threw out a smoke bomb and a flashbang for good measure. He listened for panic and disarray, anticipating Fed soldiers to literally jump out of the walls. When he was satisfied that no one was in the house, he set up in one of the rooms upstairs, taking out some supplies from his supply bag to take some notes and his P.D.A. to give a status report. M.I.S.T. issued P. were top of the line and state of the art, a gadget any spy would want. There were various models available and each agent chose based on preference. Ren's P.D.A. became a hollow blue cube when it was flipped open, a dim blue light filled the room as he dialed HQ's number and was connected in seconds.

"You certainly took your time Hong Kong." Ada's voice came clear through in a chiding yet affectionate manner.

"Sorry for the delay chief, I was still scouting the area for stragglers. This area's clear, I'm gonna head further North to investigate." Ren peered through a broken window to check his surroundings as he continued his conversation.

"I see… Alright then, proceed with caution and be aware of your surroundings, as always. By the way Sherry has some work for you when you get back. I think she has it in for you for going over your extension." Ada chuckled as the line dimmed out. Ren sighed as he put his P.D.A away. He had, as his parents predicted, became a writer which was all well and good. But balancing his schedule and public image as an author was a lot of extra work on top of being a spy. All Ren knew was that he was gonna expect quite the phone call when got back to Hong Kong.

 _Four hours earlier, further North…_

Hesh and Logan left Fort Santa Monica early in the morning for No Man's Land. Their father gave them both a pat on the shoulder and a look that rubbed off anxiety, but emitted assurance at the same time. He turned his attention to Riley, almost silently communicating with eye contact to watch out for his boys and to be careful as well. Riley seemed to get the message and circled Elias' legs and accepted a stroke from the commander before he boarded the Humvee that would take them to the borders of No Man's Land. From there it would be a trek on foot through the unknowns of No Man's Land back to the place they had once called home. This would be the first time the boys would be back home, they never looked back after they left and ten years later the thought never occurred to them once. Any reminder of their life before and the pain ODIN brought that day would only be a distraction and they needed focus for their job.

They had traveled considerably far into No Man's Land. Near the heart of San Diego they had ran into a couple of Fed patrols, they of course were no match for Logan and Hesh's team work and of course Riley's prowess and speed. They found themselves in a grassy area, nothing but the wind blowing softly in the background as they entered the rugged part of mountains. Hesh reloaded his honey badger, checking his ammo supply to make sure they had enough. Seeing that they were more than prepared, he looked over to Logan who was checking the camera on Riley's back. It was one of the newest revolutions in warfare, to send dogs to be the eyes and ears of the unit and to surprise the enemy when they least expected it. The camera was designed to fit on the bullet proof vest that Riley wore, and was equipped with a guidance system that utilized frequency wave technology, akin to dog whistles, to help guide Riley to a target. The trio crept through the grass trying to keep as low to the ground as possible.

"How you holdin' up Logan?" Hesh patted Logan's shoulder. Logan nodded, giving Hesh a thumbs up before turning his focus to the wooded area before them. Through the beams of sun light they saw a trio of soldiers emerge out of the morning mist and into their view. Logan took out the portable laptop that was linked to the camera on Riley's back, checking to make sure the program was up and running. Hesh started messing with the camera controls, keeping Riley calm but ready all the while.

"Is it on? Ok, looks like we're good, beginning sector scan. Contact. Enemy patrol approaching from the west. Do not engage. Let them get closer." Hesh whispers to Logan, and then turns his attention to Riley. Riley seems as eager to ever as Hesh fine tunes some last minute adjustments on the camera. Logan fixes his attention to the nearest soldier, his figure appearing clearly on the monitor.

"Do it." Hesh himself readies his weapon as Riley creeps closer to the nearest soldier before Logan signals him to attack. The soldier yells in surprise and pain as Riley jumps him and mauls his neck.

"Take 'em out!" Logan doesn't hesitate after the monitor goes black and was already firing his honey badger just as his brother shouted his order. Hesh gave support, each of them taking out a soldier each before reloading their assault rifles, it was at times like these that they were thankful that they had silencers on their guns.

"Clear. That's the third group in twenty miles. Keep your eyes peeled, could be more of them." The three of them move forward past the bodies, Hesh doing a quick as he sprinted to make sure that they were clear from behind while eyeing Logan at the same time. They moved quickly and quietly through a tunnel that Logan had no recollection was anywhere near home, soldiers either from the Federation or their side must have dug them as a way to travel unseen through No Man's Land.

"Stand by." Hesh quickly kneels to the ground raises his balled hand to signal Logan and Riley to wait. Logan couldn't help but think of how this was a little like how they were kids, but now wasn't the time for nostalgia.

Hesh quietly creeps forward ahead of the duo, honey badger at the ready as he checks out the top of the tunnel formation. The ground begins to shake as Hesh took his third step, causing Riley to whimper in fear.

"Easy Riley." Hesh glanced above and swung his gun around up top making sure they were clear. "Welcome home… what's left of it anyway."

Hesh's tone changed a bit, from his serious, objective voice to a slightly angere

d whisper, the pain almost as fresh as it was 10 years ago. Logan too felt it as they approached what was once their home.

The front was a wreck, the ground cracked right through the pool that Hesh and Logan used to swim in when they were kids, Hesh could almost smell the barbeques that their dad used to cook and hear his mom scold them when their horseplay became too rough, almost a whisper in the wind. When their mother died, their father bought a statue of an angel that stood in a fountain he had built in memory of her. It was a spot that always greeted anyone that was visiting and was the last thing anyone would see when they left, just like their mother. She'd used to greet every guest first with the greatest possible care and give them a more than appropriate send off when it was time for them to leave. That too, was among the ruins.

They walked through what was left of the front yard which was almost literally folded in half: overgrown grass and the swimming pool, a red truck parked near the center. The house itself looked surprisingly intact, spared from the fires that ravaged the rest of the city. The walls were cracked and parts of the ceiling had collapsed from the constant tremors that rattled the area. Hesh walked ahead of Logan and Riley, scouting what was left of the patio.

"Stalker-Six this is Viking Actual, we are en route to the target location, how copy?" Hesh addressed command as they entered the house.

"Solid Copy, Viking, Be advised, recent reports of lots of enemy movement in that area. We are on a schedule here, so get that intel, and get out fast." a stern voice addressed the trio before cutting off.

The outside of the house looked relatively tame compared with the inside of the house. The ceiling had collapsed in more than one room, the hallway near the front of the house had a gaping hole that allowed sunlight to peer through onto the foyer. The trio walked through the foyer, Logan gazed upon the walls of his childhood, recalling fonder times when his mother what pictures they could hang on the wall while their father was deployed. Riley strayed ahead of the duo as they navigated through the foyer near the backyard, or what remained of it.

"Hey, check it out. Never thought I'd see this thing again."

Logan remembered the days when Hesh branded his MTS-225 shotgun during the times when they went hunting with their dad. He was their ace in the hole whenever they couldn't take down a runaway deer in a flash.

A sudden tremor jerked Logan away from his thoughts, the house creaked as the ground shifted left and right.

"Guess that means we should keep moving." Hesh said, strapping on his old gun. They walked together up a flight of stairs that opened up to the view of their childhood city, now a gaping crater. The neighborhoods that once surrounded the hill side lie in waste at the crater's bottom.

"Not like you remember it huh? This place is depressing the hell outta me, come on." Hesh jumped down from the perch they were standing on, giving a quick scan of the area before signaling Logan to follow. The ground soon quivered and shook more violently than before. The brothers were caught off guard and were soon on their knees.

"Shit, whoa whoa!" Hesh curses under his breath as he and Logan try to steady themselves. Some of the old buildings that were clinging to the cliff side began to slide down into the crater below, one of them was church that was deemed a historical site for San Diego. Hesh quickly rushes over to Riley to calm down the whimpering dog, petting his head and stroking his ears.

"You're all right, boy. Just a tremor."

Riley's ears perk up, something had got his attention, and just like that they had their third man back. Riley's barks send Hesh and Logan into alert mode.

"Sounds like trouble. Logan sync up with Riley."

-A Ghost in the MIST-

Ren took off in a dash as he jumped kicked a soldier, his foot connecting with the back of the soldier's head causing him to double over in a mixture of surprise and pain. Ren didn't hesitate and gave him a swift stroke to his spine before he could alert his comrades, unfortunately for him he was a second too late. Two Fed soldiers had heard the commotion and ran back to check on one of their own and didn't fail to notice his presence. They shouted something Ren interpreted as "I'm gonna fuckin' kill you." before they drew their guns and fired. He had run into a platoon just as he left the destroyed house he had found refuge in. This was the first of the Feds he had seen all day, which was encouraging. His next plan after he took out this patrol was to retrace their steps to look for their nearest base. Ren jumped behind a nearby rock to dodge the hail of bullets that came in his direction, he readied his machine pistol for a counter strike. He took out a flash bang, cocking it to its maximum grade before he tossed it in their direction. He could hear the explosion and see the flash of light casting shadows on trees of the soldiers grunting trying to clear their vision. Ren swung his arm over and fired his machine pistol. A couple rounds was all it took and the only one left to tell the tale of the fight was Ren. He reloaded his machine pistol and returned it in its holster before ducking back in the tall grass nearby. He could hear the sound of trucks driving off in the distance as he tip toed through the grass. The path before him sloped up into a hill where Ren noticed some fresh tire tracks in the dirt and the sound of orders all in Spanish were being shouted. Ren stealthily trekked up the hill and saw a Fed camp down the other side of the hill. He wasn't sure if this was the dig site that Ada had told him about just that there was a lot of construction equipment and dump trucks going in and out of the camp. He checked his ammo and grenades, yep no way he was gonna take on an entire camp.

"Well this is gonna be fun. Guess I should see what all the fuss down there is about anyway, but first…" Ren crept back to the area where he found the Fed patrol. He found one of the guys he took down and bent down to take parts of his uniform.

"I don't think you'll be needing this anymore, thanks again." Ren took one of the soldier's cap and discarded jacket decorated with Fed badges and honors. He wasn't planning on speaking to anyone, just infiltration and data collection. Ren took out his P.D.A and switched on its GPS, so far he had advanced 30 miles Northeast and was nearing the end of the city limits. Maybe it would be worth his while to trek a little further North after he gave this camp a visit. He came back up the hill and fell in line behind a supply truck that was entering the camp. No one appeared to take notice, at least right away. About half way through the camp he started getting some weird stares from the higher ups and so Ren tucked his cap and decided to head to the nearest tent, hoping that a lap top or some sort of terminal would be nearby. He was rewarded, and got to work right away trying to dig up some useable info. There wasn't much on the dig site to his dismay, there were smart to keep that information by word of mouth only, there wasn't much information Ren could go by what was on the laptop was a manifest of materials and personnel.

"Great, well this is worthless, maybe I can find something useful in another tent… wait a second, what's this?" Ren scrolled down the list of the manifest a name popped out instantly one that Ren knew didn't sound or look South American.

 _Two hours earlier…_

"Viking Actual, we're getting reports of a large enemy movements just ahead of you. If you hurry you should be able to intercept them." The radio buzzed.

"Roger that. Let's move!" Logan followed his brother's suite as ran down an abandoned highway, signs of bat

tles past strewn about with burnt out cars lining both sides of the road. They had just engaged an enemy squad earlier on their way to the rendezvous.

The trio had just reached a tunnel before they received the message from Stalker-Six. The unmistakable sound of an approaching convoy set the trio on alert once again.

"Vehicles incoming! Shift right!" They hid behind a line of destroyed cars and synched their movements with convoy as it drove past. They made it to the end of the tunnel to an area strewn about with more wreckage, a ship and more fed soldiers.

"Hang on. Straggler on the right, two o' clock. He's mine." Hesh drew his gun and with a quick shot the fed soldier was dead.

"Jackpot. Stalker, we're seeing a massive enemy camp up ahead, moving in to investigate." He turned off his radio and turned to Logan.

"Logan, sync on Riley." Logan readied the camera on Riley's back before getting out his receiver. Through the feed, he led Riley through the grass, making sure to set a good pace to keep him hidden. Through the blades of grass they could see a steady flow of soldiers and vehicles, seeming to converge at a point ahead. Logan was patient, attaining the perfect balance of advancing Riley just enough to take out two patrols. He shifted Riley into a pipe as they moved forward. He used any form of cover he could find to make sure Riley wasn't seen, taking out one more soldier behind a burnt out van. The debris was soon becoming sparser and sparser, Logan found Riley in an area that was a bit more organized: the edge of the camp, Logan thought. There was a huddle near a group of vehicles just up ahead from Riley.

"The guy on the trailer, can you see him?" asked Hesh. Logan focused the zoom on the camera.

"Well, well, so nice you could join us." The owner of the voice wore a black bandanna, a style that Logan recognized as army. He was addressing a guy they had presumably captured, he wore a full blown mask that hid all traces of his face.

"Hey, you see that guy's mask?" Logan nodded, he and Hesh were thinking along the same spectrum, this guy that the Federation had captured, he was a ghost, no doubt about it.

"Rorke?" a shocked voice came from the captured ghost. He struggled against his captors with no luck.

"What's the matter? You looked like you've seen a ghost?" chuckled Rorke, he leans forward menacingly.

"You won't get anything from me." the ghost spits back, his captors force him to his knees.

"Well that's too bad." Hesh and Logan hold their breaths as Rorke pulls out a hand gun and fires, no shot, no bullet. The ghost drops his head in a mix of relief and fear.

"Heh. Now you didn't think that it was going to be that easy, did you? Oh no. You and me got a lot of catching up to do." Rorke said as he signaled his men to take the ghost into their ATV.

"Move everything to Firebase Charlie, including him! Operation Homecoming will proceed on schedule!" With that Rorke disappeared into a crowd of soldiers as they scrambled to follow his command.

"Firebase Charlie? Operation Homecoming?" Hesh wondered out loud, Logan wondered the same thing. The fed was this close, they were gonna make a move and it was gonna be a big one.

"Viking, what's your position? You boys better double time or you get left behind." the comm sounded.

"Roger that, we're on our way. Marking the rally point now. Get Riley out of there, we'll regroup at the exit." Logan nodded and went to work mapping out the safest route for Riley to escape.

 _Present time…_

"Alex V. Johnson, codenamed Ajax." Ren read the name out loud. He entered the computer's hard drive looking for files with the name Ajax. He found one, though it was hard to translate. The word "Ghosts" kept popping up over and over again. He didn't have much time to ponder about what that meant since he heard a group of soldiers entering the tent talking about the soccer game they'd watch later. Ren quickly powered down the laptop and exited the tent with a wave and without incident. Now that he found out how many guys where there and what they would be bringing, it'd be nice to find out where the dig site was and where they'd be headed after. It was apparent that after a couple of odd looks the other soldiers had given him that he had overstayed his welcome in the camp, so he quietly crept back into the woods, discarding the uniform he picked up and resumed the track his GPS had mapped out.

"Downtown San Diego… too bad I can't enjoy a night out on the town." Ren sighed, the crunching of the leaves as he walked were the only thing he'd be enjoying for a while.

* * *

Sorry for the late update! I started writing this a week ago then got swept away by work. Still waiting to hear back from grad. school so wish me luck! Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading! I'll come up with the next installment soon!


	5. Struck Down

A Ghost in the Mist Chapter 3: San Diego ノー·マンズ·ランド

(Stuck Down)

(A/N: Thank you all for reading and for your reviews! If you've made it this far and are bored with the Call of Duty Ghosts flashback, no worries you are in good company. The plot will deviate from the game in a couple more chapters.)

" _Well fuck, this sucks."_ Were probably gonna be the last thoughts of Logan Walker as he pointed his empty pistol at the growling wolf, glancing at him menacingly ready to pounce.

They had just made it near the rally point, when Riley had unknowingly confronted a hungry pack of wolves. Hesh was on the ground across from Logan trying to get to him, but two wolves had gotten his attention, their razor sharp teeth nearly making contact with his exposed arm. Logan braced himself as the wolf took flight. Time slowed down as he saw Merrick grab the wolf out of midair, barrel rolling before throwing it away some distance, while shooting the other wolves near Hesh. The pack was now in full retreat and soon disappeared into the woods. Their savior offered Logan a hand.

"You look lost." he said eyeing both Logan and Hesh, another man joined him who Logan instantly recognized as Sergeant Keegan Russ.

"We're not lost. We were looking for you Captain Merrick." Relief and gratitude evident in Hesh's voice as he spoke. Logan too, stood straight, he knew they were in the presence of the Ghosts, their iconic masks commanding fear and respect.

"Walker, I believer you've got something for me." He held out his hand toward the pair. Hesh placed the tablet that Logan had used to record their encounter with Rorke in Merrick's open hand.

"Yeah. Some Feds were moving a guy to Firebase Charlie. He one of yours?" asked Hesh.

"Yeah, Ajax. All right, we don't have a lot of time. You can stick with us but you do what I say, when I say it. Understood?" Merrick's gaze shifted back from Logan to Hesh.

"Yes, sir." Hesh's voice was laced with a hint of reverence that his brother didn't fail to notice, which was something he shared. They were going to see _the_ ghosts in action, it was a big deal for any soldier and they knew that this was their chance to shine in front of the best of the best.

They moved swiftly heading North, following the sounds of the moving federation squadron. Through the rough terrain and through the battles that lay ahead were the distant ruins of San Diego, where Ajax was waiting for them.

 _Further South, Present Time_

The terrain suddenly became more and more rugged as Ren struggled to climb the path that was once called the Obsidian trail. Heading to San Diego had become an ungainly chore to merely satisfy his curiosity, but it had to be done. The mere suggestion of an American hostage had not only captivated his interests as to what the federation would want with him, since they normally executed any captive, but also to answer some questions about the elusive ghosts. He had heard of them, rumors of their existence had drifted on and off of the battlefield. A squad of elite warriors who battled the federation with a ferocity that no one had ever seen before. Finding info on the ghosts could prove valuable later on, "knowledge is power after all" his mother would often say.

His attention became diverted by the unsettling splash he heard as he walked through the grass. Blood. He hadn't run into any feds in a while, which could only mean that trouble was not far ahead. The trouble he found had already been taken care off, all throughout the trail ahead bodies lay strewn about. Surveyors and soldiers, judging by their uniforms, but what were they looking for?

Ren took out his machine pistol, making sure he had some ammo in his clip before reloading. He walked slowly with some caution, machine pistol at the ready as he rounded the path through a patch of brush. There amid the overgrown brush Ren could make out a statue. It was an angel, its arms held out in welcome to a once flourishing household. Further in Ren could make out what looked like a pool, if it hadn't been for the truck in the center, and even further back was the house itself. The sunlight peering through each gaping hole made the house look like Swiss cheese.

Without much though, Ren walked around the perimeter of the house. Normally, he would've taken a look inside the house to see if he could refurbish anything useful, but something told him to stay away. That going inside _this_ house would be a decision he would regret. He couldn't exactly pin down a certain emotion or even a rational argument as to why, but he didn't think about questioning his instincts twice.

He flipped open his PDA to check his position, he still had a way to go to San Diego.

"Great, well I guess I can enjoy the scenery for a bit longer. It seems pretty peaceful enough." Ren thought aloud.

 _San Diego, Present Time_

 _Ajax, there he is._ Logan got the remote sniper on standby, he had a view of San Diego Tsunami Stadium and its center was a huge enemy camp. Logan zoomed in on Ajax and the fed soldiers that were punching the crap out of him. He looked worse for wear, but Logan couldn't help but smirk when Ajax flipped off his captors after another round of punches.

"There moving him, we should go now." Keegan's voice is full of urgency, which goes unnoticed by Logan.

"We're going in there? What about back up?" Hesh asks, an incredulous look on his face.

"What do you think you're here for?" Merrick said as he picks up a grenade launcher and loads it with semtex rounds. The roar of truck engines brings the group to attention. Their plan was simple, tag the trucks and follow them to their base, detonate the charges to create an opening and then find Ajax.

Logan grabs a free MK32 grenade launcher and checks his ammo, making sure it's fully loaded.

"Pick your shots carefully, we'll have to trigger them to detonate. Here they come, tag the trucks." Merrick starts shooting, Logan shoots in sync with Merrick, each grenade making a subtle thump only heard by the ghosts.

"Convoy clear. Let's move." Merrick and Keegan go on ahead as Hesh and Logan do a quick check of their weapons and supplies. Gun in hand, the brothers went to join Keegan and Merrick. They couldn't ignore the hint of concern in Merrick's voice of the large amount of enemy movement that was coming out of the base.

"Alright let's load up." Merrick's voice boomed in the hollow garage. Logan went with Keegan, while Hesh with Merrick. Logan couldn't help but smile a little as he saw Riley waiting patiently for him to open the door. As he predicted Riley sat in between him and Keegan.

"Watch and learn kid." Keegan's voice brought Logan back into focus in the urgency of their mission. Both trucks pulled out of the garage slowly, tailing the trucks ahead. As they approached the gate, Merrick gave Logan the signal to detonate the grenades. Explosion after explosion opened a path for the ghosts into the middle of what was once the main field of the baseball stadium. Keegan busted the window with his fist and began firing at the turrets, while Logan focused fire on the soldiers near the tents. Logan was caught off guard in an instant as Keegan swerved both of their trucks crashed through the side gates of the stadium into the concession area. Merrick busted out of their truck firing grenades and detonating them spontaneously as he slid to a safe position to disorient the soldiers in the area. Fed soldiers were everywhere, on alert, and didn't hesitate to return fire. Logan dove behind a pile of rubble and began to return fire, Hesh and Keegan weren't far behind.

"Ajax is through the atrium. Move! Hurry, before more guys get here." Merrick said taking out three soldiers before ducking back to reload.

Logan ordered Riley to take out a soldier that was trying to snipe Merrick, while Keegan took out the soldiers near the hot dog stand. Hesh quickly moved in near one of the pretzel stands to cover Merrick and Logan as they moved forward.

"Keep firing! Keep pushing forward! Reinforcements coming in!" They pushed forward near the stairs before another squadron came busting through the double doors that led to the field. They didn't last long though, with Riley's agility caught the soldiers in front by surprise creating an opening for Logan and Hesh to clear the squad.

"Nice shooting, but we need to move. Ajax won't last forever." The interior of the stadium narrowed as they climbed higher near where Logan first saw Ajax through the remote sniper. They arrived to a pair of big oak doors that lead to the private box.

"This should be where they're holding Ajax. Check it out with the remote sniper." Merrick whispered.

Logan took out the pad and brought the remote sniper online. No sign of Ajax, but there were plenty of soldiers.

"We'll breach on your shot. On you." Merrick said. Logan picked a soldier nearest the door and took him out with the remote sniper. The resounding boom caught the soldiers off guard, Hesh, Merrick, and Keegan burst through the doors and quickly started firing.

"Runner on the left!" Hesh yelled, shifting his attention to the left side of the room, quickly reloading his gun.

"Go! Go! Clear left!" Merrick yelled as he fired his gun, backing up Hesh.

"Clear Right!" Keegan yelled as he quickly whipped his gun around and took out another soldier. Logan downs the last of the soldiers before switching off the remote sniper.

"Room secure! He's not here!" Merrick says as Riley spots a wounded fed soldier, yelling in fear and pain while desperately trying to get away.

"Where is he?! Where did you take up?!" Keegan shoved the fed soldier up against the wall, knife to the jugular.

"I don't know where he is!" the fed soldier's voice was filled with fear and desperation as if he was speaking to death incarnate. Riley's ears perk as he barks to Hesh and runs off.

"Riley's got his scent." Hesh holds Riley's collar giving him a quick pat.

"Let's go." Merrick says as he gives a signal to Keegan, who slits the fed soldier's throat quickly killing him. Logan quickly follows behind Keegan, an explosion almost catches Logan as he swiftly dove out of the way. More rockets fly by their way, nearly catching Hesh this time in the explosion.

"Ambush! Use the remote sniper to take out those RPG's!" Logan had already loaded the remote sniper the moment he heard Merrick's voice and was trying to find the source of the rocket fire. They were hiding up near the upper balcony, Logan focused his attention to the one nearest the balcony edge. He took him out quickly and took out the other RPG's out before they had a chance to take cover.

Merrick gave the all clear after a moment silence, and Hesh released his grip on Riley.

"Stick with Riley, he'll lead us to Ajax." Logan was only seconds behind Riley as they descended into a depression that took them from the middle balcony toward the locker rooms. They regroup near one of the shutter doors, which was slightly ajar. Through the gap, Logan spots two soldiers, probably a patrol.

"Enemy patrols. Probably a dozen guys total." Keegan says as he squats down to take a better look through the gap through the shutter.

"We don't have time for this. Gas masks on." Merrick says as he puts on his mask.

Logan tossed a couple of tear gas canisters under the shutter as he fitted his mask. The soon the air is filled with tear gas and it isn't long before fed soldiers bust through the adjacent door seeking fresh air, only to be cut down by the ghosts' bullets. Hesh holds Riley back as the air clears, while Keegan, Merrick, and Logan take the lead. They were right inside of the practice area, Logan could see some fed soldiers taking cover near the batting cages. He tossed more tear gas canisters toward their direction, the gas taking effect almost instantly. Once Logan had them in his sights, he downed them without much of a struggle. Riley's barks soon alerted the group that Ajax was close, very close. He sped off before Logan could react, Hesh and Merrick were close on his tail, cutting through more feds as the caught up to Riley.

 _Ajax, hang in there. We're coming for you._ Logan thought as he stabbed a fed soldier with his combat knife before regrouping with Keegan and tailing Hesh and Merrick.

-A Ghost in the Mist-

 _Blood._ _More blood._ Ren never got used to seeing blood, even in his profession, he knew the difference between a well-planned hit to a straight out slaughter. This was definitely a slaughter, a very one sided one. The path that lead away from the abandoned house Ren had stumbled upon earlier was littered with bodies. All of them were fed soldiers, and with each body Ren was piecing together a fighting style, a combat strategy, a possible lead.

 _Definitely skilled, whoever they are. Not even much of struggle, clean gunshot wounds all in vital areas._ Ren thought. Whoever they were they were good, but then again no stragglers ever survived long in No Man's Land according to the reports he read. He took a quick scan around the area, so far all he had seen was forest, but now he saw the first signs of a fed camp.

"They didn't even have time to recover their dead, something had them running. I wonder who?" Ren thought aloud as he wandered through an abandoned trailer. He scoured through the papers that were left scattered haphazardly on the floor and the desks. Nothing much, except for orders to recover any specialized mechanical parts. Ren exited the trailer and into a literal field of bodies that lead up the hill. He spotted an ammunition crate to which he gratefully helped himself to any ammo he might need later. The ringing of his PDA quickly got his attention. He took another look around to make sure the area was somewhat clear before flipping it open.

"Heya Hong Kong, how's the wilderness treating you? You haven't chimed in a while." Ada's whimsical voice echoed through the speaker.

"Sorry to make you worry chief, I've just been taking in the sights and stretching my legs." Ren said, hand on hip and a voice matching the Ada's whimsy.

"Well now that you've been able to appreciate the flora and fauna, anything to report?" Ada's face became slightly quizzical and serious in contrast from a moment earlier.

"I found a fed camp earlier. There wasn't anything useful in their manifest, but I've come across another came like it here. This one looks like a dig site too." Ren stated, a bulldozer in sight and a couple of abandoned cargo trucks in the distance.

"A dig site you say? You're near San Diego right? I wonder… It couldn't be…" Ada's voice hinted a bit of concern, last part of her sentence almost a whisper.

"Something on your mind chief?" Ren asked.

"It's just a hunch…they say it landed in the ocean, but we can't be too sure of that can we?" The thought had crossed Ren's mind before, it certainly seemed to fit the mold of what he and Ada knew the Federation was capable of. They wouldn't feel any remorse of shooting a man when he's done, especially if its the same gun.

"Better to side with caution I suppose. I'll let you know if I find anything. Is there anything else?"

"Nope. You're extraction already is on its way. Waiting on you for coordinates. I'll expect a call from you when you get back from Hong Kong." Ada's face dimmed as the signal cut out. Ren flipped his PDA closed and slipped it back into his pocket.

 _Good to know that my ride's on the way, but I'm not quite done yet. I hope that American hostage has a ride coming for him, but I don't mind playing hero if I have to._ Ren resumed his task, following the bodies to San Diego. In the distance Ren could make out the San Diego skyline, with burnt spires and the worn out facade giving a feeling of impending gloom. Ren spotted an AK-12 assault rifle, equipped with a red dot sight, near a dead fed soldier. He picked it up, peering down the sight and checking its modifications. Having a little more firepower wasn't a bad thing, it would certainly come in handy if he ran into a large squadron. He took out a polyester strap from his tactical bag and attached it near the hook of the barrel and near the stock, making a makeshift sling. Definitely a handy trick, he made a mental note to thank Sherry when he got back.

-A Ghost in the Mist-

"Ajax!" Keegan's flashlight focused on the fallen soldier near the back of the room. Riley had lead them to the San Diego Tsunami's main locker room, where they encountered a number of fed soldiers throughout the offices and practice areas. They took each squad down with quick and deadly precision as they closed in on Ajax. Logan surveyed the space around Ajax, looking with disgust at the bloodied baseball bat and the still smoking car battery.

Keegan was instantly at Ajax side, holding him firmly while checking his injuries. He brushed off the urge to wince at the severity of Ajax's wounds. Had they had gotten there sooner… He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on trying to keep Ajax conscious.

"How is he?" Hesh asked concerned, moving beside Merrick as he peered over Ajax.

"Not good." Keegan says as Ajax let's out a cough as he tries to breathe. Riley let's out a soft whine as he places his head near Ajax's feet.

"Son of a bitch. Hang in there Ajax." Merrick reaches behind to his back tactical bag trying to get out some medical supplies. He's stopped mid reach by Ajax's hand.

"It was Rorke. He's targeting… look… the wall…" Ajax's speech weakened with each word. The last of his strength left him, his eye's gazing off in a blank stare, his grip on Merrick's arm going limp.

"C'mon! Hang in there Ajax!" Merrick's voice rings loud and clear to everyone's ears, except Ajax. Keegan shakes his head, laying Ajax down on the ground.

"Dammit!" Merrick slams the ground with his free fist as he frees his hand from Ajax's. It was times like this he knew they had to be strong, that they were made of a different cloth from everyone else. But they were ghosts, they were no longer just soldiers, they were a part of a special brotherhood, and every loss is always felt.

Hesh took out a flare, striking it against the ground to get a fire going, its eerie bright, red light illuminating the room. Pictures of soldiers were pinned on the wall, several with red thread connecting them to another picture. Some of the soldier's faces were crossed in red, probably a hit. He felt his brother's presence beside him as his focus drifted to the desk right below the pictures. Papers, all of them with detailed information about each soldier and their mission.

"Merrick! You gotta take a look at this." Hesh calls over. Merrick stands up giving Ajax a quick glance before telling Keegan to get him ready to move. He strides across the room beside Logan, his face becoming tense as he scans the wall.

"It's a kill list. Rorke's targeting ghosts." He says grabbing a mask that's pinned near Ajax's picture, stuffing it into his tactical vest.

"Who the hell is Rorke?!" Hesh asks, his tense tone not missed by Logan. In truth it scared him a little to know that there was someone out there who could bring down a ghost with such direct ferocity, but it gave him all the incentive to become one to hunt down Rorke. He and Hesh could do it, he thought.

"No time to explain kid." Merrick says. For a moment Logan could swear that he sees Hesh huff in frustration, not sure whether it's because Merrick called him a kid or the denial of any further info. A gun shot rings in the background and the four of them can clearly hear the commotion that's just outside of the locker room on the field.

"They're coming in. We need to move. Keegan, bring him. We leave now!" Hesh and Logan ready their guns as Merrick makes his way back to Keegan and Ajax ready to cover the both of them.

"You boys did ok, but you need to get back to L.A. now." Merrick says as he reloads his rifle before opening fire near the entrance.

"Incoming, get down!" Keegan yells as a couple of stray bullets nearly hit Hesh in the middle of reloading. Logan instantly loads the remote sniper and begins immediately taking out targets.

"Give us some cover fire!" Merrick and Keegan rush on ahead on to the field, Logan seeing them on the monitor and focused his fire on the soldiers and turrets around them and their target helicopter, he doesn't let up until they board the helicopter.

"We made it, thanks. Taking off." Merrick's voice on the radio gives him some relief as they take off, but now he and Hesh had to escape. He powers down the remote sniper and readies his Bizon, quickly catching up to Hesh whose already taking out feds on the field. He spots a fed copter with full crew just on the brink of takeoff.

"Our ride's leaving! Riley!" Hesh yells. Riley gives a quick bark before jumping into the cockpit and mauling the pilot grounding the helicopter back onto the ground and ejecting both Riley and the rest of the crew. Riley gets up unharmed and unaffected by the maneuver, a quality which Logan and Hesh think is bad ass.

"Alright! Let's get to the chopper! Clear through!" Hesh says, needless to say easier said than done. Fed soldiers seemed to be coming out of every nook of the field, reinforcements must've been sent while they were searching for Ajax. When they get to the chopper Logan jumps in front making sure Riley makes it in back. Hesh immediately hops in the pilot's seat and checks the controls before booting the engines.

"Cover us with the remote sniper so we can take off." Hesh's voice almost muted by helicopter's engine, Logan already reading his mind begins to reboots the remote sniper. He spots a couple of LMG's near the edge of the field and begins to pick them off one by one. They narrowly dodge an RPG, Hesh quickly jerking the cyclic stick to move them away from the missile's path. Logan catches them in mid reload and takes them down with the remote sniper.

"Command, this is Viking, we've acquired an enemy helo and are RTB from South of the wall. Do you copy?"

"Hesh, Logan, can you hear me?!" Their dad's voice blared through their comm units.

"Dad?!" Hesh said and Logan thought, something was up and from the tone of their dad's voice it didn't sound good.

"We've got a full Federation division moving on Fort Santa Monica! You boys have to get back here quick!" The signal went dead after that, only static echoed from the radio.

(A/N: So...I realized I made a mistake with Ada's and Ren's conversation and I made some repairs. I'll have more chapters out soon, that's a promise!)


	6. Homecoming

A Ghost in the Mist Chapter 4: Homecoming

(A/N: Ok, so no excuses this time. I really messed up my schedule and on top of that I came down with a really bad case of writer's block. Yeah, I guess those were excuses. But I'm back on track now, more or less. Don't worry, I haven't given up on this story, we are not on hiatus! I repeat the hiatus is not real. Anyway, I know this chapter is a bit busy, but it's kind of necessary so I can start writing the alternate story. I hope you guys enjoy!)

It was his favorite time of the day, the sun was nearing the tip of the horizon as a refreshing breeze wafted through the deserted streets of San Diego. He ran a hand through his hair, now covered in dust and the occasional blood spatter. The trail of bodies ran cold a little while back, but Ren continued his trek toward downtown, now following tractor tracks instead. They all seemed to convene near the bay, towards the baseball stadium. He could make out smoke in the distance around the area, a good sign that he wasn't far off the mark. The city itself was what he would come to expect: burnt, smashed, and deserted. Ok, maybe not deserted. He had come with the expectation of being by a large fed force. He shrugged off his minor disappointment as he continued toward the stadium. What he couldn't shake was the feeling of dread that continued to snowball as he moved toward the stadium. His mother had taught him that feelings could be dangerous and distracting for a spy. Soldiers had to leave their emotions off the battlefield and then pick them back up in the barracks, but spies had to carry them around in a blast-proof safe.

" _Screw keeping my feelings in a safe, this city is just flat out depressing."_ Ren climbed over another burnt out car as he continued down the main boulevard. It was the same nearly everywhere in California, hit harder than anywhere from ODIN, but this was Ren's first time seeing the devastation firsthand. It was certainly sobering, but affirmed to Ren the importance of his mission. His steps quickened as he approached the stadium, the closer he got the more smoke and fire there was. He turned the corner of the street toward the entrance of the stadium and saw quite the fiery mess. Burnt bodies and blown trucks littered the road up to the gate, the gate itself was blocked by rubble from the upper arch of the stadium and looked impassable.

" _They certainly did a good clean up job, except they still left quite a big mess. Nothing I can't maneuver around."_ Ren thought with a smirk as he took his hook shot. He spotted a landing above the cracked face of the Tsunami's logo and fired, the grapple whizzing through the air before hitting the concrete ceiling. He felt the gun begin to retract the line and he leapt into the air, he curled his body, bringing his knees close to his head, as the grapple detached from the ceiling, and landed without making a sound. He slipped his hook shot back into holster and padded his legs from the dust that stuck to him as he landed before taking a good look around the balcony. The balcony was a mess, papers left scattered about, tables and chairs were flipped and taken apart, the wood missing from the table tops and the chair handles. _Probably for scrap,_ Ren concluded, the Federation never really got a proper foot hold until after a year or two post ODIN, during that time resources became scarce as the US prepped for an all-out assault, there wasn't even time for rebuilding, only evacuation. He switched his focus to center field, as he walked slowly across the other side of the room. Down on center field was a federation camp, or what remained of it. The field was littered with dead soldiers and blown cars, but there were some left over soldiers. Ren took out a pair of binoculars from his tactical bag to get a better look. There was no effort to recover the dead, it looked like the soldiers were in a hurry, quickly bagging supplies and piling them in the few trucks that were unscathed.

" _I wonder if they got their man? Well as long as I'm here it couldn't hurt to take a look around."_ Ren took out his PDA, flipping it open. He texted his coordinates and sent a request for extraction. Once that was done he closed his PDA and pulled out his newly acquired AK-12 from its sling. He spun around and walked to the door, which was located diagonally from where he first landed. He took a second to listen for any footsteps or chatter from any soldiers before he opened the door. He was on the second floor proper, the actual solid, landing instead of a walkway that was between the first and second floors. The first floor, he made out, was the concession area. There were dead feds along the kiosks and hot dog stands, some look like they were killed with a clean gun shot, while others look like they've were butchered. Ren descended to the first floor, each step marked with caution and hesitation. He took a closer look at some of the more gruesome corpses. He could make out bite marks along their neck and near their faces. A dog? It's possible, the US definitely has K9's at their disposal to assist their troops. But investigating cause of death for fed soldiers wasn't his priority. He stood up and scanned the area, there were signs of a battle everywhere he looked but he had to start somewhere. He traced his steps back to where he started, his instincts directing his steps back in front of the door of the balcony. He kept on walking, finding himself ascending the stairs to the third floor, near the VIP box. The door was ajar, the air smelled of gun powder. Ren ducked near the door, AK-12 at the ready, before he busted through the door. He scanned the room, not failing to notice the dead feds all around him. He scoffed, very much impressed with the handy work done. There was a large, gaping hole with a view of the entire field. Ren crept to the edge, trying to make out any significant change in pattern. Most of the soldiers had left, Ren seeing a truck speed off through a make shift gate on the other side of the stadium, but there were still a number of feds left. There was smoke nearby to his left, an area of the stands looked like it was blown apart by a couple large explosions. On the upper deck he could make out some dead feds carrying RPG's.

" _They went down huh? That looks like a fun drop, but I think I have something better in mind."_ He took out his hook shot and fired right below the upper deck and glided slowly to the loading area below.

-A Ghost in the Mist-

" _Dad! Where are you?! Give us a sign!"_ Logan and Hesh had landed in the middle of the chaos, in the middle of the battle between an enormous Federation force with their guns pointed right at Fort Santa Monica. They had fought hard through the streets, to one of their command posts, where they held out taking out wave after wave of soldiers on the beach. Both of them never letting the enemy gain any ground, both of them always having each other's back. When it seemed that they had won a small victory they were blown out by a strike from the Fed's carriers off shore. The missile tossing both brothers into the trenches on the beach.

Logan shook his head trying to clear the ringing in his ears, had he blacked out for a moment? Hesh was right there by his side already on his feet, urging him to move forward. Logan was quick to get back on his feet. He quickly found a free SA-805 assault rifle from a nearby supply drop and took the lead pushing back the feds. The feds had their sights set on taking the command, but they first had to deal with the drone towers. The drones had taken out their major invasion force, including their tanks and hover crafts. Logan knew that their best chance of winning this fight is for those drone towers to stay standing.

"Drone Control's defensive teams are reporting massive causalities and need assistance." Logan heart dropped a little when they heard the

"Roger that! Patch me through!" Hesh said.

"We're surrounded on all sides! What's your ETA?" Hesh could make out the tower from their position. They were close, so close, but they still had a huge wave of feds closing in around their location and some heavy weaponry they had to deal with first.

"We're moving through the trenches! Hang tight, we'll get there!" Hesh yelled, quickly shooting two more feds hiding around the corner. Logan followed up by tossing a concussion grenade their way to distract any nearby feds. A loud hum to their left stopped the pair dead in their tracks, Logan swiftly motioned for Hesh to duck, the noise encroaching all around them soon evolving into a roar. It was a hover craft and it was about to pass right above them. It's chaos for a moment, the propeller merely feet above them, but they were safe. After the craft passes without incident, and they pick up their pace. They can make out a huge confrontation at the front of the tower, a mob of feds quickly closing in on the tower's main entrance.

"Logan! Use the drones to give us some cover!" Logan begins picking his targets, he saw a tank about to bear down on their position. He signaled the drones to focus their fire on the tank before quickly grabbing his brother's shoulder, drawing his attention to what he was seeing.

"We gotta move! Hurry we need to breach the tower!" Logan could see the drones overhead as he and Hesh ran for the tower. The explosion he saw signaled their freedom of being run over by a tank. Hesh and Logan drew their guns and took down every fed soldier that was trying to breach the tower. Just then, they heard an explosion above that made Logan's heart sink to his stomach. Both of their drones had been hit, Hesh and Logan both seeing the planes fall out of the sky and crash into the trenches near the shore, their hopes of winning the battle consumed within its flames.

"Command! Drones are down! We're moving to evac the injured." The comm units were buzzing with static, the last thing they needed was a communication blackout.

"All units this is Command. A10 Drone Support is now offline. Fall back to secondary defensive positions. I repeat all units retreat from the beach."

"Come on! Move!" Hesh took the lead again as they ran through the beach, now in full retreat. The federation knew they had won the fight, but they were hell bent in leaving no survivors, their increased barrage of mortars seemed to prove that point. Hesh dodged a couple of explosions, his brother doing the same as more mortars landed around them. The sand soon became pavement as they made it to the streets of Fort Santa Monica. The feds were already dropping off soldiers to secure the city, but Logan and Hesh had no intention of letting them find their father first.

"Dad's place is down the next street! Hurry! There's Riley! Riley, c'mon boy! Enemies! End of the street!" Logan tagged his brother as they ran down the street. A pair of fed choppers were flying overhead, loaded with fed troops and prepped for a drop. Logan took a couple of long shots, none hitting their targets. Logan steadied his breathing, mentally cursing for his impulse, they had to focus on finding their father. He reloaded his gun, he was running low on ammo so the next couple of rounds had to count. All around them the brothers heard the shouts of their fellow soldiers, some were victorious and others were agony-filled as they pushed back the federation. A familiar bark caught Logan's attention as he saw Riley running to meet them. Hesh chucked briefly as he gave Riley a well-earned pat on the head, the dog seemed as desperate as they were to find their father. They ran for what seemed an eternity until they reached the burning building that was once the HQ. Without hesitation Logan followed Hesh into the inferno, their dad just couldn't be dead, they had survived the fires of ODIN, this was nothing.

They pushed through the rubble, the fire inside raged, the beams of the walls now visible in the flickering flame were beginning to melt under the intense heat.

"Elias?! Dad?! Up the stairs!" Logan's right behind his brother as run up the stairs plowing through the collapsing building right into what was the command center. It was only yesterday that they were welcomed by relieved Elias, right here when that relief changed to urgency as he briefed them about No Man's Land, and now right here where they last knew their father stood, alive.

"We need to make sure Dad got out!" Hesh turned swiftly his eyes circling the room, looking for a possible escape route their dad may have used. He spotted some collapsed beams and beyond a door that led to the kitchen and balcony.

"Here see if you can crawl under this!" He grabs a hold of one of the beams and with some effort creates a small opening. Logan ducks and manages to make it across before Hesh's grip fails causing more rubble to pile on from the ceiling.

"Shit! I can't get through! Just go upstairs and look for dad! I'll see if I can find another way around!" Hesh's and Riley's silhouettes disappear in the smoke leaving Logan and an open door. He took it, quickly climbing up the stairs. He sees another door slightly ajar, if his memory serves him this was the door that led to the small kitchen area and the small briefing table. As he slowly opened the door, the door was forced back rapidly hitting Logan in the face. He recovered in seconds, only to come face to face with a fed soldier. Logan doesn't even have time to register the shock or ready his gun, he's picked up and flung like a rag doll to the wall and lands with a resounding thud. Panic begins to set in, the fed looming above him draws out his combat knife but before he moves in for the kill Logan hears a bark that raises his hopes but at the same time drives his fear. Riley bursts through the door and immediately lunges for the fed soldier, but his reflexes were better and knocks Riley out of the air. Logan hears Riley's whimper, summoning all of his anger to try to fight the soldier on top of him but is stopped by a knife. It wasn't for his own reflexes the fed's blade would have already carved him inside out, but he's gripping the knife and fed's hand with all of his might. He could feel a sting and searing burn as the blade nears his chest and finally manages to cut skin. He could feel his strength begin to leave him-

"Logan!" Hesh fires his rifle and hits the fed point blank before he could finish off Logan. Hesh pushes the dead fed aside and immediately checks Logan.

"Shit! You're bleeding! It looks worse than it is. You're going to be ok." Hesh checks over the wound, he rips off a piece of a piece of Logan's shirt and turns it to makeshift gauze trying to clean it. The building quivers, threatening to give way, Hesh needed to move Logan and move him now. Riley barks a warning as the roof above their heads caves, but instead of debris it's two soldiers swooping down from a helicopter, Logan immediately recognizes Keegan but it's an unknown ghost who reaches him first.

" _Dad?"_

His vision blurs a bit, he couldn't have been losing that much blood, maybe the fatigue of the last two days has finally caught up with his injuries. He feels his body being lifted off the ground and soon airborne, they must be boarding the helicopter. He hears someone barking orders, he barely registers someone asking Hesh if he was okay. Hesh shouting is what brings him back to reality. He's sits up taking in his surroundings, sensing the commotion not too far from where he's siting.

"Hey, we're not going anywhere!" Hesh yells punching one of the helicopter doors.

"Hey calm down kid!" At this point Logan could see that the older captain has had enough and shoves Hesh against the wall next to him.

"Hey! We just save your asses!" Merrick shouts, Hesh pushes Merrick back. _Oh this is gonna turn into a brawl isn't it?_ Logan huffed in annoyance and braced himself for a fist fight, where was there dad in all of this? He hoped that he'd just give up the ghost and take off his mask already.

"We didn't need your help!" Hesh retaliates, or tries to anyway before Merrick shoves him down firmly taking a seat next to me. He meets Hesh at eye level before taking off his mask, trying to make his point clear.

"The hell you didn't!" He yells back, Logan spots the only masked ghost swiftly make his way between the two fired up men, placing a hand on each of them creating space.

"Stow it all of you!" he shouts, establishing some peace in the helicopter. Logan lets out a sigh of relief, their dad had impeccable timing when it came to stopping two soldiers from giving each a black eye. Now that he's has some more space, Hesh stands freely and faces the ghost.

"We have to go back! Our dad's back there and we're not leaving without him!" Hesh's voice is full of concern, echoing their earlier frenzy on the battlefield.

"That's very admirable of you. But your father's not there anymore." It was a direct statement and stoic, Hesh's head sunk in defeat. That's when the ghost brought his hand to his face and removed his mask.

"Dad! This whole time you were one of them. You're a Ghost?!" Hesh said in a volatile mixture of surprise, relief, and a bit of hurt.

 _Oh come on Hesh, you didn't see it in his eyes? That was definitely Dad who saved our butts back there._ As snarky as he sounded Logan was just as relieved as Hesh that their dad was alright, though he wished his brother was a tad more observant.

"Try _the_ Ghost! That's your commanding officer!" With that Merrick felt it was best to give the family a bit of space and he rejoined Keegan near the cockpit. Elia's eyes were reminiscent of yesterday, once again quickly getting a quick scan over his boys. Logan got up and stood side by side Hesh ready for whatever explanation their father was about to give them.

"You boys had no idea how hard this was for me. But once I make a choice, there's no turning back. You and your brother still have a lot to learn but you passed all of your tests." A small smile forms on his lips as he lays a hand on Hesh's and Logan's shoulder.

"Welcome to the Ghosts." Hesh breaks out in a full grin, one that Logan reflects eagerly. They had done it, they had fulfilled their childhood dream and became Ghosts.

"We're ready. We won't let you down." He shoots their dad a smile before sending Logan a grin as well. Logan mirrored Hesh's smile and returned their father's smile.

"There's no way you ever could. I'm proud of you. Both of you." Elias chuckles a bit and releases their shoulders. Merrick, at some point, joins the trio, and Logan could sense that he was ready to rain on their parade.

"That's all good, but what the hell are we gonna do about Rorke?" Yep, he called it, party's over.

"Rorke? That's the guy hunting the Ghosts right?" Hesh asks as Elias moves to one of the helicopter's port holes, swinging an arm above as he glances over the moving landscape.

"Yeah. He's good, very good. And he know's how we operate." He sighs, his gaze seemed to glaze over for a second as if he was fighting back a memory.

"How's that possible?" Hesh asks.

"He was one of us." Elias's voice was stern, solid. He stated a fact, but with many answers came a lot more questions. Hesh took a step back, perplexed that the there was a traitor among the Ghosts. Elias walked back to the cockpit to give a sitrep, leaving Hesh and Logan on a cliff-hanger. Hesh wanted the whole story, what had happened that turned Rorke against the Ghosts. But, he knew he'd those answers soon. They had one hell of a day, first they'd regroup and get some rest, after that they'd make their next move.

-A Ghost in the Mist-

Ren brought a hand up to his face, covering his nose at the strong smell of pepper spray that was super concentrated and clung to the walls on the Tsunami's locker room. Almost every step he took was splattered with blood, and almost every other step he took he saw another body. He was getting warmer. The sound of some feds up ahead sends Ren into alert mode.

" _About high time they started picking up after themselves."_ He turned the corner and saw a small patrol in hazmat suites, they were disposing of dead feds in body bags and from what Ren could gather from their hushed tone trying to re-secure the stadium. He crept silently, hiding behind a trash bin as they moved out, body bags in toe. There were a lot of bodies, in other words they'd be back, soon. He had to hurry while the coast was clear. Further down the corridor he spotted the entrance of the main locker room, blocked by rubble. He debated about whether he had enough time to blow the rubble away, but then again this was supposed to be a stealth operation. It wasn't worth the risk, especially since he couldn't scout their numbers beforehand. A faint glimmer grabbed his attention, there was an opening to his right and on the ground was a dying flare. He ignored it and another set of double doors that were slightly ajar. His anticipation was building on a fever pitch, his objective, he could sense, was so close. He crouched near the doors, taking a minute to listen for any movement. The silence worried him a bit, he didn't know whether he'd find a room of dead US soldiers or whether it'd just be empty. He hoped for the latter, he hoped that they had rescued their hostage. He readied his gun, and burst the door, swiftly waiving his gun across the room until he was certain the area was clear. More dead feds, certainly an encouraging sign. He saw an inner room further in the back, dark and menacing, tempting all at once. He took out an ear-light from his tactical bag and wore it before turning it on. He moved slowly, scanning the outside of the room before swiftly entering, ready for an ambush of feds. His heart dropped at the sight of blood, a large puddle near a seat that itself had taken a lot of torture, how much more did the soldier sitting here take? Next to the chair was bloodied baseball bat and the car battery, yeah typical fed tactics, simple but effective. No body to be found, perhaps they had gotten out? Ren hoped that was the case. He scanned the perimeter of the room. Something caught his attention, near the back of the room, almost tucked away from view in the darkness. He walked closer, until he stopped in front of said corner. On the wall were pictures of soldiers connected by red cord, some of the soldier's faces had been crossed out by a red x, others were marked with a white question mark. He had found the Ghosts, or what remained of them. Below the board there were piles and piles of papers scattered on a desk, they were past missions and briefs that the Ghosts had done, each was stamped with a Top Secret security notice.

" _Huh? Sloppy. Leaving intel scattered like this, not that I'm complaining. But how in the world did the feds get a hold of these?"_ Pushing aside his question and the urge to read through all of the reports at that moment, Ren searched for something to stuff everything from the wall and the desk to bring back home with him. By luck, he found a metallic brief case close to one of the lockers, probably what they used to bring those files to begin with. Quickly thanking the feds for their lack of consideration, he gathered as much as he could, organizing what he could before he closed and locked the brief case. He kept his gun close, and began retracing his steps until he caught view of the field. The feds that were there earlier were heading out, quickly packing whatever guns and ammo they could find and driving out of the field in their trucks. Ren picked a spot and hid, keeping a close eye on the field until it was clear. The extraction point was just outside of Downtown and he didn't want to be late. He took out his hookshot and fired the grapple toward the top of dome. He flew into the air, retracting the grapple as he landed. He fired the gun again as he descended down toward street level, controlling his descent as he landed with small thud. He returned his hookshot back into its holster and began the walk toward the extraction point. Ren sighed, this by far had been one of his longest surveyor missions. He was ready for a hot shower and some good food when he got back to Hong Kong. He glanced down at the brief case he was carrying. It certainly wasn't easy, but he could call this mission a success.


	7. Calm during the Storm

A Ghost in the Mist Chapter 5: The Calm during the Storm

(A/N: Heya guys, so I managed to kind of get this one out on schedule. Thank you always for reading and for your reviews. This chapter is a bit of an intermediate expose. More action coming up! ^^)

Rain wrapped around the skyline of Hong Kong enveloping the city in a shroud of water. It was already evening when Ren finished running his errands, he could already tell he had a lot more to do when he got home. He emerged from the grocery store, one hand holding groceries the other fiddling around his messenger bag for the umbrella. He got it open without too much trouble and began his walk home. He looked down at his watch, it was about 8' o clock, still plenty of time to get some brain storming before calling it a night. He stopped five minutes into his walk when he saw a bright red news bulletin flash across a large digital billboard on the other side of the street: _Building explosion in Caracas kills thousands, Federation calls the incident a terrorist attack by the US… US denies involvement in Caracas Disaster… UN to Assess Future Federation Threats…_

The news story had a live shot of a burning inferno in the middle of downtown Caracas, they had a couple of interview segments from witnesses and a couple of injured survivors. Ren scoffed, the Federation was pulling another publicity stunt and were once again pointing the finger of blame to the US. Not that it worked, they only succeeded in bolstering support from their own allies. There was no denying that the whole incident had US involvement written all over it. Which only piqued Ren's interest, the timing from when he got the info from San Diego and this incident seemed a bit too uncanny, a little too perfect…

-A Ghost in the Mist-

The rain had only gotten heavier by the time he reached the lobby to his apartment building. He was grateful he had thought to bring his umbrella, otherwise he'd have to take another trip back to the office to reprint his edited manuscripts. It wasn't easy, he fought really hard to try to keep the story exactly the way he had written it, but his editor had to haggle him down 5 chapters. Ren grudgingly clutched his manuscripts through his messenger bag as he balanced his groceries in an attempt to press the elevator button. The ride was quick and filled with much needed silence and solitude for Ren. The elevator bell signaled the end of his quick reprieve as he got off onto his floor. Ren's apartment was just around the corner from the elevator, not too far of a dash on his sometimes late mornings. He dug around his pockets for his key and opened the door. Ren's apartment was large and spacious. He'd like to think that he brought a little of the London flat that he had lived with his parents, hints of English and European art and pottery around the walls and on the coffee tables. The small foyer opened up into the living room which took up considerable space save for the kitchen neatly tucked in the back corner. He walked through the living room, tossing his messenger bag onto the couch as he headed toward the kitchen. Once there he set his bags onto one of the island bars he had and began storing his groceries into their appropriate places, making sure to start off with the vegetables and eggs to the fridge first. Afterwards, he headed towards his office, swinging by the living room to grab his messenger bag first. Through a hallway, next to the kitchen, past his room and the guest bedrooms was his home office. His phone was blinking, the receiver saying that he had missed two phone calls. He hit the playback button;

"Ren Ichihara! You'd better get to work on that next draft pronto! I pulled a lot of strings getting you that extension, spy or not, we have a job to do. Be sure to send me a copy tomorrow!" _Beep_

"Welcome back Hong Kong. I trust your ride was smooth and comfortable. The board is set to meet up next week and they would like your annual assessment. If you could please send me a copy by this weekend. But, I'd think you'd better work on your revisions first, Sherry sounded mad when we talked earlier." Ren listened as Ada's chuckles died down as the message ended. He plopped his messenger bag near the desk and took off his trench coat, neatly hanging on a coat rack near one of the bookcases. He sighed, it was sure going to be a long night. He went back to the kitchen to get a kettle going before coming back to the office. He sat down at his desk and turned on his laptop, the iconic M.I.S.T. logo materializing on the screen before his desktop appeared.

 _M.I.S.T. Standard Operations Report Version 10_

 _By Ren Ichihara_

 _It has been 10 years since the ODIN incident, 10 years in which the world has changed forever. There was no doubt that the Federation had been behind the hijacking of the ODIN satellite and the targeting of rods to major cities of the United States. The origins of the Federation can be traced to the Middle East during the Tel Aviv War. The US, coming to the defense of their allies from an invasion, intervened along with NATO to win the war. We've obtained records following the end of the war indicating that following the war, a handful of warlords were secretly sent out of the country to their allies in South America. In time, they gained the favorable opinion of the ruling dictators in bolstering deep hatred for the US and their allies. It was soon after that the Federation movement was born. At first they innocently proposed that a unified state of South America would be a wise decision economically and eventually nationally, but that was before the bloodshed of innocent civilians and the executions of any US citizens. By the time we realized their true purposes, the Federation had already unified over 75% of South America under their flag. The UN acted upon the information we provided and sent negotiators to the Federation with the threat of imposing economic sanctions and charging their leaders with war crimes. The Federation responded only with hostility, sending back their negotiators in body bags. What followed was the first campaign against the Federation, a united effort made by the US and their allies to liberate South America. M.I.S.T. worked behind the scenes. Our agents successfully infiltrated the Federation and we passed information to the US and their allies without compromising our secrecy. We were working to a quick close to resolve the Federation uprising, the US had made great progress and even a cease fire talks were in both country's agendas. That was before ODIN…_

Ren stopped typing feeling a slight pressure building in his head. He pinched the bridge of his nose, yep he could use a water break. He got up and went to the kitchen and got a bottle of water from the fridge before heading back.

 _To say that we failed to stop the Federation from rising is an understatement. Though it is reckless to shift the blame squarely on M.I.S.T. What remains in question is how exactly did we not perceive the threat rising in South America before it was too late? Our involvement in the Tel Aviv War was extensive. The information we have obtained was crucial in tipping the balance of the war toward peace. Should have we played a more direct role? Could we have played a more direct role? As the situation stands currently, M.I.S.T. has deployed agents in Federation territory to try to hinder the spread of their ideology and influence. We've lost a number of agents in standoffs with the Federation and so the threat of compromise always looms on each of us as we attempt to gain the upper hand. After ODIN, M.I.S.T. objective changed to eliminating all threats in Europe to make the war as one-sided as possible. Federation sympathizers existed in virtually every corner of Europe, finding them all was a tremendous task, but was necessary to prevent funds and resources from entering South America. It took 10 years, but we have finally regained Europe as a stable base of operations._

Ren decided it was best to take a break here. He hadn't eaten all day, a terrible habit that he had acquired when a manuscript was almost due. First a quick dinner, then back to the report. He inherited his father's knack for cooking as well as his recipes. After taking a quick minute to organize his desk he headed to the kitchen to raid the fridge for ingredients. Tonight, he decided on making tempura calamari with fried gyoza and a side of miso soup. After dinner he went back to his office. The metal glint of the brief case he had brought back from San Diego caught Ren's glance. He had been excited with anticipation to read up on the Ghosts, he wanted to see if the reports he's heard were true or simply rumors.

" _Now's a better time than any to find out about these Ghosts."_ He opened the brief case. He took his time organizing all of the files, matching a name with a picture before thoroughly reviewing each profile.

 _We cannot talk about the Federation without first discussing about the Ghosts, an elite team of special ops soldiers under direct orders from the top of US government. There about nine of them total, each gifted with their own set of extraordinary qualities. There are some key individuals who are worth a closer look. Let's start first with Elias Walker, codenamed Scarecrow. Elias is the current commander of the Ghosts and maintains his position as one of the top officials in the US army. His battle record is certainly impressive, he's fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the Tel Aviv War and on top of that he is a skilled strategist. Then there's Thomas A. Merrick. According to his profile, he was one of the youngest recruits ever to the Marine Corps. He's well trained, his strength and his skills with a gun are one to watch out for, presumably he's the Ghost's second in command. Keegan P. Russ is deadly with a sniper rifle and his background in tactical ops and ambush are perhaps unmatched anywhere in the US military. On top of that, he possesses an eye for detail and can identify weaknesses that were initially overlooked. Kick, codename only, is perhaps one of the most brilliant hackers under the disposal of the US military and on top of that he's a seasoned soldier on the battlefield. Alex. V. Johnson codenamed Ajax, was one of the Marine Corp's best. He was well acquainted with Thomas Merrick and has a list of honors under his name. In my recent mission to "No Man's Land" I obtained a Federation manifest containing his name. It can be assumed that he was captured by the Federation, but his current status is unknown. Perhaps the best of the best of the Ghosts was a soldier named Gabriel T. Rorke. Distinguished and respected across all branches of the military, Rorke was the commanding officer of the Ghosts until 2015 where he was declared M.I.A._

Ren stopped typing again, his eyes focused on the files. He highlighted the entire paragraph about the Ghosts and hit the delete button. He wasn't ready to tell his boss and all of M.I.S.T. about the Ghosts. He wanted to have a little fun with them first, observe them in battle, get to know their personalities a little more. He wanted to see them in action firsthand and gauge their potential to fight the Federation. Maybe he was a bit pretentious, their battle experiences don't lie. His instincts whispered that there was a connection, an unseen connection that he couldn't fathom between the Ghosts and Federation. It would explain why the Federation was going beyond extraordinary measures to snuff them out of existence. Something else that caught his attention back in San Diego and was now glaring him back in the face was the top secret and classified seals on the Ghost's files. How had the Federation get their hands on such sensitive information? It was now undeniable that there was a breach somewhere, sometime in the past. Question is, does that breach still exist?

Ren finished typing up the rest of the report and sent off a copy to Ada. It was almost 11 and he still had a chapter to revise. He stood from his desk to fetch his messenger bag. A familiar ring from his pocket stopped him in mid motion. He saw Ada's number and quickly flipped his PDA open.

"Hey chief. It's not even five minutes and you already read the whole report? I'm guessing you're here to tell me it was too flowery or something?" Ren asked with a quirked brow.

"Very funny Hong Kong, do you think I'd call you on a private line just to critique your writing? I have another mission for you." Ada spoke.

"Well, looks like my chapter revisions will have to wait. Sorry Sherry…"

-A Ghost in the Mist-

Logan didn't enjoy the idea of nearly being crushed by a building, definitely a close call but they got what they came for. They were aboard a carrier, gaining as much distance as they could from Caracas. They were in their sleeping quarters. Logan was in his bunk trying to get some sleep. He could hear Hesh on the sleeping rack above him scribbling away in his journal. Out of the corner of his eye he could make out Keegan and Merrick in deep discussion, details about their mission reaching his ears. He couldn't sleep any more, maybe it was the adrenaline still coursing through his veins so he decided to get up. It was hard to believe that Rorke, the man who was trying so hard to kill them, was a Ghost once. Not only a Ghost, but a commanding officer who held the trust of even the President. It was also hard to take in the gravity of the choice their father had made 12 years ago. If he had chose differently, then there may have not been a Ghost squad today, and he and Hesh would be mourning the 12 year anniversary of their father's death. A knock on the door didn't help, he knew that their dad had some news from the laptop they took from Victor Ramos. All the Ghosts were at attention when Elias set a folder on the table before them and opened it revealing their next mission.

"Ramos' laptop was badly damaged, but NORAD made a big find." Elias started.

"Rorke?" Hesh asked.

"He moves every twelve hours, but for the next twelve, we'll know exactly where he'll be. A floating industrial complex out in The Gulf, occupied by The Federation. They call it, "The Freeport." NORAD made the find, and they want him alive. You're getting some salvaged birds to hunt with, and I'll be in a Spectre coordinating the multiple units." Elias stated, eyeing Keegan and Merrick before shifting his gaze back unto Logan and Hesh.

"Gonna be one hell of a hunt." Elias didn't miss the hint of excitement laced with careful anticipation in Hesh's voice.

"Big game, but you know what to do." Elias said. He closed the folder and called Hesh and Merrick to follow him. Logan felt a little awkward being alone with Keegan, but he felt that he could count on the man to have his back on and off the battlefield. Keegan didn't seem to mind the company, he motioned for Logan to follow him to the armory to get their gear ready for their mission. They had to move fast, it's not an everyday opportunity to have the element of surprise on the Federation.


End file.
